Asia | Banyan

The mystery of China’s missing military

Why the PLA has ducked a brawl with America

Illustration of an empty seat marked by dashed lines in the shape of a person, symbolizing absence. On the table in front of the seat is a nameplate labeled "Dong Jun," a small Chinese flag, and a glass of water
Illustration: Lan Truong
|4 min read

Chinese military folks have never been great communicators. For most of the 15 years that Banyan reported from Beijing, the only way to seek comment from the defence ministry was to send a fax. A response would often come weeks later, if at all. The regular news conferences that it launched in 2011 are still dominated by scripted questions from state media. People’s Liberation Army personnel must have special permission to speak with foreigners. And those who do are often professional “barbarian handlers” specially trained to manage contacts with outsiders—and reveal as little as possible about the PLA.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Stealth mode”

From the June 7th 2025 edition

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