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

the field about the continued relevance of the concept
of symbiosis (休戚与共), the analytical framework that
PLA analysts have applied to the study of CCP/PLA
relations for many years. 3 If the concept of symbiosis
has indeed become obsolete, what new theoretical
framework should we use to guide our study on this
important issue?
This chapter will assess the changes in China’s
civil-military relations as part of its overall political
transformation. In order to assess these changes, this
chapter analyzes the major trends that are taking place
within China’s civil-military relations as China’s traditionally
symbiotic relationship undergoes a period of
transition. When placed together, the elements of the
symbiotic framework in transition form a relationship
in which the PLA seems to be wielding increasing autonomy
over its modernization and national security
decisionmaking, while civilian leadership is primarily
exerted at the pentacle of power in Hu Jintao and the
Central Military Committee (CMC). 4 This chapter will
use two case studies to highlight these changes: Hu’s
command of the PLA and his Taiwan policy.
CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS BEYOND
SYMBIOSIS
Until recently, the concept of symbiosis captured
the essence of CCP/PLA relations. For a long time, the
two most powerful institutions in China were fused
in the governing process. And, the lack of functional
differentiation and clear institutional boundaries between
the two underlined their unique ties. The Party
in uniform informs the nature of communist civil-military
relations, 5 and symbiosis has traditionally been
the foundation for communist rule worldwide.
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