People's Liberation Army facts for kids
Quick facts for kids People's Liberation Army中国人民解放军 |
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 Emblem of the People's Liberation Army |
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| Established | August 1, 1927 |
| Parts |  PLA Ground Force PLA Navy PLA Air ForceSecond Artillery Corps |
| Leadership | |
| Leaders of Central Military Commission | Xi Jinping (Chairman) Fan Changlong (Vice-chairman) Xu Qiliang (Vice-chairman) |
| Minister of National Defense | General Chang Wanquan |
| Chief of PLA General Staff | General Fang Fenghui |
| Serving soldiers | |
| Military age | 18–49 |
| Conscription | None enforced |
| Available to be a soldier |
385,821,101 males, age 16–49 (2010 est), 363,789,674 females, age 16–49 (2010 est) |
| Fit to be a soldier |
318,265,016 males, age 16–49 (2010 est), 300,323,611 females, age 16–49 (2010 est) |
| Reaching military age annually |
10,406,544 males (2010 est), 9,131,990 females (2010 est) |
| Active employees/soldiers | approximately 2,285,000(about 0.18% of population) (ranked 1st) |
| Reserve personnel | 800,000 |
| Deployed personnel | Overseas: ~300 anti-pirate personnel in Somalia Paramilitary: approximately 1,500,000 Total: 4,585,000~ (ranked 6th) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | US$119 billion (2013) (ranked 2nd) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.46% (2012 est.) |
| Industry | |
| Suppliers from foreign countries |
 Russia |
| Annual imports |  Israel Turkey United States Russia |
| Annual exports |  Indonesia Cambodia Malaysia France Pakistan Bangladesh United Kingdom Turkmenistan Hungary Eritrea Kyrgyzstan |
| See also | |
| History | History of the PLA Modernization of the PLA |
| Ranks | Army Navy Air Force |
The People's Liberation Army (or PLA) is the main military force of China. It is controlled by the Communist Party of China. The PLA was started on August 1, 1927. It is the largest military force in the world.
The PLA has about 2.25 million people working for it. This is about 0.18% of China's total population. The Central Military Commission leads the PLA.
The PLA has five main parts:
- The PLA Ground Force (the army on land)
- The PLA Navy (PLAN) (the navy at sea)
- The PLA Air Force (PLAAF) (the air force in the sky)
- The Second Artillery Corps (which handles missiles)
- The PLA Reserve Force (extra troops ready to help)
In China, all men and women must join the military when they turn 18. This is called compulsory military service.
Contents
History of the PLA
The People's Liberation Army began during a difficult time in China. It was formed on August 1, 1927. This was during the Chinese Civil War. The PLA was the army of the Communist Party of China.
The PLA fought in many important events. These included the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Korean War. Over the years, the PLA has grown and changed a lot. It has become a modern fighting force.
How the PLA is Organized
The PLA is a very large and complex organization. It is led by the Central Military Commission (CMC). The CMC is the highest military body in China. Its chairman is the supreme commander of the PLA.
The PLA has different branches, each with a special job.
- Ground Force: This is the largest part. They protect China on land.
- Navy: They protect China's waters and ships.
- Air Force: They protect China's skies and use aircraft.
- Second Artillery Corps: This group handles China's missiles. Some of these missiles can travel very far.
- Reserve Force: These are people who can be called to serve if needed.
PLA's Size and Spending
The PLA is known for being the biggest military in the world. It has the most active soldiers. In 2010, it had about 2.28 million active members.
China also spends a lot of money on its military. In 2013, it spent about US$119 billion. This made China the second-highest spender on defense in the world. This money helps to buy new equipment and train soldiers.
Modernization of the PLA
In recent years, the PLA has been working hard to become more modern. They are getting new and better weapons. This includes advanced tanks, ships, and fighter jets.
They are also improving their training methods. The goal is to make the PLA a very strong and high-tech military. This helps China protect its interests around the world.
Images for kids
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PLA troops entering Beijing in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War
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Chinese troops gathered on a T-34/85 or a Type 58 medium tank leaving North Korea in 1958, 5 years after the Korean War ended with an armistice (a ceasefire) in 1953. The banner in the background of the picture bears a slogan (in Chinese) which declares "The Friendship And Unity of the North Korean And Chinese Peoples Are Always Steadfast And Strong!"
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Marshal Lin Biao surveying the soldiers during the 10th-anniversary military parade in 1959.
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The PLA Honor Guard in Beijing, 2007
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The CMC is ceremonially housed in the Ministry of National Defense compound ("August 1st Building")
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A Type 99A main battle tank in service with the PLAGF
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A PLAN destroyer conducting maritime interdiction operations at RIMPAC 2016
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A Chengdu J-20 5th generation stealth fighter
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DF-21Ds at the 2015 Victory Parade
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A PLA Navy Special Operations Forces marine during a maritime operations exercise in RIMPAC 2014.
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The range of the PLA Rocket Force's medium and intercontinental ballistic missiles (2006)
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PLA Factory No. 6907, Wuhan. The white characters on the blue sign roughly translate to: "Secret/Classified Area, Do Not Enter Unless Invited."
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The Central Military Band of the People's Liberation Army of China at the Great Hall of the People. The band is a common performer of the military anthem of the PLA at ceremonial protocol events.
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See also
In Spanish: Ejército Popular de Liberación (China) para niños
