Chinese Communist Party Asserts its 'Absolute Leadership' Over Country's Military

China’s ruling Communist Party has reinforced its “absolute leadership” over the country’s two million-strong force, asserting that the PLA should function strictly under the party’s command, as Beijing plans to build a fully modern military on par with the US by 2027. The two million-strong People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the world’s largest, functions as an arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the one-party state, unlike other militaries of the world which function under their respective governments. “The military should abide by the fundamental principle of absolute Party leadership over the armed forces,” said the Politburo of the…