The PLA at Home and Abroad - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

Also in 2009, the PLA Navy (PLAN) and PLA Air
Force (PLAAF) celebrated their 60th anniversaries.
The PLAAF demonstrated its new air power during
the October 1 national day parade. The PLAN held
its birthday party earlier in April in Qingdao, the
Headquarters of its Beihai Fleet (北海舰队 [Northern
Sea Fleet]). Over 200 foreign naval dignitaries, most
notably the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations and the
Russian Navy Commander, were invited to the celebration.
It was like an Olympics meeting for the international
navies. President Hu Jintao and all the senior
PLA leaders led the review of China’s major warships,
headed by two nuclear-powered and armed submarines
(the first-ever public demonstration of China’s
strategic submarine fleet) and 21 warships from 14
other nations, especially major naval powers such as
the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and
France.
Behind these glittering numbers of China’s economic
development, the PLA parades, and the spectacular
celebration fireworks, the world clearly saw an
ambitious China edging its way to the center stage of
international economic, political, and military affairs.
However, a few other major events in the last 2 years
came just in time to remind the Chinese leaders, and
the world as well, that China still faced a challenging
future.
• The global financial crisis was a wakeup call
to China that its economy was vulnerable to a
volatile world market that was still beyond its
control. China’s mercantilist export-oriented
development strategy, while deserving credit
for jump-starting China’s economic development,
was making China too dependent on the
well- and ill-being of the outside world. The
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