An NDTV columnist outlined the challenges facing the modernization of China's military by 2027
With Beijing’s 2027 target approaching, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is facing slow implementation of intelligent systems, discipline and corruption issues, and the need to shift from quantitative growth to quality. Anushka Saxena, an associate researcher in the Geostrategy Program at the Takshashila Institute, expressed this assessment in a column for NDTV World.
According to her, 2027 is an intermediate milestone in China’s three-tiered military modernization strategy. By that time, the country plans to largely complete its informatization and move on to an advanced stage of “intelligentization” of the military. By 2035, Beijing aims to achieve basic defense modernization, and by 2049, to build a world-class military.
The author highlighted the signals that preceded the 99th anniversary of the founding of the PLA on August 1. Among the priorities, she cited political development, combat effectiveness, and the development of an integrated national strategic system and capabilities. According to Saxena, in this model, the army’s political loyalty is prioritized over combat readiness.
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The column also mentions a meeting of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, at which it was emphasized that development without adequate quality could become a burden and an obstacle for the armed forces. Saksena believes that Beijing’s approach is shifting toward the principles of high efficiency, low cost, and sustainable development.
The author paid special attention to unmanned and intelligent forces. An explanatory article by Xinhua News Agency dated August 3, which she cites, asserted that the side that is first to develop an intelligent military system will have the advantage on the future battlefield. At the same time, the report pointed out the challenges faced by the Chinese military in integrating such systems, adapting algorithms, and achieving combat effectiveness.
Saxena also noted that China is intensifying its push for technological self-reliance amid Western restrictions on technology and China’s state-owned defense enterprises. In her view, the PLA Navy is shifting toward a model of more sustained force deployment through combat patrols, training in remote maritime areas, and maneuvers in the “gray zone.”
