The People's Liberation Army
...the military of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is 2.8 million strong making this force the largest army in the world. The PLA was established in the 1920s as the military arm of the Communist Party of China. It was originally named the Red Army. The People's Liberation Army's insignia consists of a round device with a design of five stars and the Chinese characters "ba-yi" (August 1, the anniversary of the 1927 Nanchang Uprising), surrounded by wheat ears and cog wheels.(The use of the insignia is governed by the 1984 Military Service Law.) The People's Liberation Army fought proudly and diligently whether is was on her home turf or abroad. The Red Army, as it was also known, fought with vigor whether the war was directly related to them or if they were the pawn of the battling Soviet Union. This however paid off in the end for Mao Zedong and his troops for the People's Republic of China was recognized by the United Nations and Communism was their political regime. This was well deserved recognition for which the People's Liberation Army fought so valiantly.
Organization
Within the PRC government, the PLA maintains a semi-autonomous existence. The PLA reports not to the State Council of the People's Republic of China but rather to two Central Military Commissions, one belonging to the state and one belonging to the party. In practice, the two CMC's do not conflict because their membership is almost identical. By convention the chairman and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission are civilian members of the Communist Party of China, but they are not necessarily the heads of the civilian government. It was the case with both Jiang Zemin and Deng Xiaoping, that the retained the office of chairman even after relinquishing their other positions.
In contrast to other nations, the Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic...
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