Short answers, pulled from the story.
The People's Liberation Army's primary mission is the defence of the Chinese Communist Party and its interests, not the defence of the Chinese state. Chinese law grants the CCP absolute control over the armed forces, with the Central Military Commission exercising supreme military command.
The People's Liberation Army traces its founding to the 1st of August 1927, when communist elements of the National Revolutionary Army staged the Nanchang uprising against the nationalist government. The force was formally named the People's Liberation Army on the 10th of October 1947, when the "Manifesto of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" was published.
The People's Liberation Army is the world's largest military force, with around 2 million active personnel. China's official military budget for 2025 was 1.78 trillion yuan (approximately US$246 billion), while the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated total military expenditure at US$336 billion, the second-largest in the world after the United States.
China's exact nuclear arsenal remains a state secret. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and Federation of American Scientists estimated in 2024 that China holds approximately 438 nuclear warheads, while the United States Department of Defense put the figure at more than 500 operational warheads. China's stated nuclear policy is no first use, maintaining a deterrent retaliatory force.
As of at least early 2024, the People's Liberation Army has not fought a war since 1979, when it engaged Vietnam in the Sino-Vietnamese War. Both sides claimed victory in that conflict, though western analysts generally concluded that Vietnam outperformed the PLA.
The People's Liberation Army operates a support base in Djibouti, a base in Tajikistan, a listening station in Cuba, and the Espacio Lejano Station in Argentina. The PLA Navy also conducts rotational warship deployments to the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia.