Beijing's defence strategy revamps military for great power confrontation

Key change in the 2019 strategy is China's blunt description of a world of Great Power rivalry rather than cooperation; white paper sees country's face-off with US

The Chinese government on Wednesday set out its defence strategy in a White Paper, superseding the previous strategy document of May 2015. Titled “China’s National Defense in the New Era”, the new strategy reflects “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”, which China’s strongman president wrote into the constitution of the Communist Party of China at its 19th National Congress in 2017.

The new white paper details the reorganisation the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has undergone since 2015. Its earlier seven military area commands (at Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu) have been