That’s the core debate many analysts are having. China’s modernization has produced impressive leaps, but whether it’s a strong, battle-ready force or more of a glossy façade depends on what angle you look at:

The Case for a Strong Force

• Hardware leap: In just two decades, the PLA Navy has grown into the world’s largest fleet by hull count, fielding advanced destroyers, submarines, and carriers. Its Rocket Force wields precision strike missiles designed to keep U.S. carriers and bases at bay.

• Tech integration: Drones, hypersonic glide vehicles, cyber units, and anti-satellite systems give China disruptive capabilities that rivals take seriously.

• Regional advantage: Near its shores, the PLA is already formidable. The Taiwan Strait and South China Sea are heavily covered by A2/AD systems, making intervention by adversaries costly and uncertain.

• Reforms: Over the past decade, the PLA has restructured commands, invested in joint operations, and built a logistics support force meant to professionalize warfighting.

The Case for a Shiny Façade

• Combat inexperience: The PLA hasn’t fought a major war since 1979 against Vietnam, leaving it untested in modern, high-intensity combat.

• Training gaps: Many exercises remain scripted rather than free-play, raising doubts about how adaptable units would be under real fire.

• Logistics & sustainment: Short-range missile strikes are one thing—but sustaining a campaign over months (especially overseas) is far harder, and China’s logistics system is still maturing.

• Leadership & corruption: The sweeping purges of senior officers, especially in the Rocket Force, suggest corruption and quality-control problems. That points to cracks beneath the polished surface.

• Carrier force: Carriers and carrier aviation—the epitome of “great power” projection—remain experimental, with real operational effectiveness years away.

The Balance

China’s military modernization has built a real, dangerous force, especially in its own backyard. Its missile forces, naval modernization, and cyber/space tools are not a façade—they’re potent and credible.
But the façade argument comes in when looking at the depth of readiness: corruption, untested command structures, sustainment in a prolonged war, and the gulf between parades and battlefields.

The most accurate answer may be: The PLA is both strong and shiny. It has grown into a powerful regional force capable of inflicting heavy losses and deterring rivals—but its global projection, sustained readiness, and combat-hardened leadership still lag behind the image it projects.

By John Uju-Ikeji