From Ragtag Rifles to World-Class Force: Inside the PLA's 99-Year Transformation

Key phases of its transformation include:

• Civil War and Korean War era (late 1940s–1953): The Red Army was formally renamed the People's Liberation Army in 1947 . After defeating the Nationalists in 1949, the PLA fought the Korean War (1950–1953) with Soviet-supplied equipment, transitioning from a purely guerrilla force to a more conventional army .

• Post-1978 Deng Xiaoping reforms: China's modern military modernization push began in 1978 and accelerated in the 1990s . Deng shifted the PLA's focus from revolutionary politics to professionalization, technological upgrading, and reduced force size . The establishment of a professional military equipped with modern weapons and doctrine was the last of the Four Modernizations .

• 1990s–2000s acceleration: After the 1991 Gulf War demonstrated the power of high-tech warfare, China intensified R&D and procurement of advanced aircraft, naval vessels, and precision missiles . The PLA undertook a massive transformation "from a mass peasant infantry to smaller, highly-trained, and well-educated integrated army that stresses high technology" .

• 2017 three-step goals under Xi Jinping: Xi formalized a roadmap: (1) mechanization and initial "networked" capability by 2020; (2) "basically complete" modernization by 2035; (3) becoming a "world-class military" by 2049, the centenary of the People's Republic of China .

The 2027 Centenary Goal

In 2021, the Chinese Communist Party established the "2027 centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army" — a set of objectives to be met by the 100th anniversary of the PLA's founding on August 1, 2027 . The 2027 goal was first framed in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) as an effort to accelerate military development, improve force readiness, and enhance deterrence capabilities . It focuses on improving strategic capabilities and is described as the "critical year" milestone before the longer 2035 and 2049 targets .

The 2027 benchmark represents the start of a new three-step development strategy that continues Xi's approach of military reform to transform the PLA . The original three-step strategy sought to achieve mechanization by 2020, make major progress in "informationization" — the integration of information and communications technology — and then build a fully modernized force . The 2027 goal specifically calls for accelerating the integrated development of a mechanized, informatized, and "intelligentized" military .

Where the PLA Stands in 2026

As of August 1, 2026, the PLA commemorates its 99th anniversary during what state media calls the "critical year" toward achieving the centenary goals . President Xi Jinping has urged efforts to fulfill the goals for the centenary and make "decisive progress" in basically realizing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces .

In late July 2026, Xi also told the PLA to strengthen its use of artificial intelligence and unmanned systems — pushing for an "intelligent military system" as part of the 2027 goals . Analysts note that the PLA has made major equipment leaps and combat readiness improvements in recent years, though debate continues about how fully it will meet all centenary objectives .

The three-step plan aims to ultimately build the PLA into a force capable of fighting and winning modern, informationized wars . Yet the 2027 goal should be understood as a centennial milestone, not an expedited completion of full modernization — the 2035 target for "basically complete" modernization remains distinct .

From 200 soldiers with bolt-action rifles in the Shaanxi mountains to one of the world's largest defense budgets and a growing inventory of advanced aircraft, naval vessels, and precision missiles, the PLA's transformation over 99 years is one of the most dramatic military modernizations in modern history — and the next year will reveal whether it can meet the ambitious targets Xi has set for its 100th anniversary.