Special report | Command or control
Xi Jinping is obsessed with political loyalty in the PLA
Ideology is undermining China’s drive to prepare forces for combat
In a scene halfway through “Skyfighters”, produced in 2011 by the PLA’s August First Film Studio, an air-force division commander wants to conduct a night exercise to simulate combat conditions. His young deputy disagrees, citing bad visibility. Besides, the pilots are getting some rest (mostly at a bar shaped like a fighter jet where no one seems to drink anything but coffee and fruit juice).
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This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline “Command or control”
From the November 11th 2023 edition
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