The Front Line | China’s military has made a dramatic about-turn. The world is watching

China is on a mission to turn its military into a modern fighting force. In this four-part series, we look at the rapid transformation of the People’s Liberation Army, starting with changing perceptions of its capabilities.

A decade ago, China held a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II. Back then, the People’s Liberation Army was seen as no match for the United States military in the Indo-Pacific.

China has set three broad goals for the PLA: to make “significant progress” on information warfare, military mechanisation and strategic projection by 2027; for the modernisation to be “basically complete” by 2035; and for the military to be “world class” by 2049 – 100 years after the Communist Party took power.

While these goals are deliberately vague, the common understanding is that the ultimate 2049 target – set out by President Xi Jinping in 2017 – is for China to be on a par with the US.

The world could get some indication of just how far the PLA has come in September, when Beijing brings out the big guns for another military parade, this time for the 80th anniversary of Victory Day.