Chinese military is now concentrating on winning battles against powerful adversaries.

The Chinese military is undergoing a significant shift in its approach to warfare, as stated by a top defence official. For decades, their doctrine focused on winning local wars, but now they are directing their attention towards defeating "strong enemies and opponents." This change comes at a time when China is facing mounting challenges from various fronts, including the United States.

President Xi Jinping has given a clear directive to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to strengthen their strategic capabilities and protect the country's sovereignty and development interests. The occasion for this announcement was the 120th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping, who is credited with rebuilding China after the tumultuous era of Mao Zedong. In his speech honoring Deng, Xi not only praised his contributions to the Communist Party of China and the country as a whole, but also emphasized Deng's vision for a modern military.

Xi stated that the best way to honor Deng's legacy is to continue the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics that he established. He also recalled Deng's belief in having a smaller, but more efficient military and his emphasis on modernization. As the Commander-in-Chief of the PLA, Xi has directed the military to improve their ability to defend the country's sovereignty, security, and development interests.

At a PLA event, Miao Hua, a member of the Central Military Commission led by Xi, emphasized the need to focus on strengthening capabilities to defeat strong enemies and opponents in their new journey. This directive is seen as a significant course correction for the Chinese military, given the current challenges they face on multiple fronts.

In the past, the CPC's directive to the PLA was to develop the ability to win local wars, considering their long-standing border dispute with India and maritime disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea with Japan. However, recent events, such as the worsening relations with Taiwan, have forced China to reassess their strategic approach. China claims most of the South China Sea, but their claim is disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

In 2022, Xi had set the goal of "victory in local wars" and instructed the PLA to improve their combat readiness and ability to win in all aspects. He also stressed the need to use military forces in a normal and diverse manner, with the aim of shaping a secure environment, containing crises, and ultimately winning local wars.

Experts believe that this shift from winning local wars to defeating strong enemies and opponents is in line with China's assessment of the risks they face and their growing focus on security, especially in light of the escalating rivalry with the United States on multiple fronts. It remains to be seen how this strategic shift will impact China's military operations and their relations with other countries.

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