At a meeting that took place in Beijing in January 2015, Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping called upon People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers to start “a new phase of military diplomacy.” During the meeting, Xi explained the crucial role of PLA foreign relations in China’s foreign policy by describing how “diplomacy through military exchanges” promotes China’s overall diplomatic work to the international community, and stressing that such exchanges play a significant role in maintaining China’s national security. Yet while Xi called for this “new phase” earlier this year, China’s emphasis on greater PLA foreign relations has already been clearly evidenced by the PLA’s greater willingness to participate in joint exercises and training sessions with foreign militaries over the last few years.
The effects of this emphasis are first noticeable when comparing the number of bilateral and multilateral military exchanges during former Chinese president Hu Jintao’s rule and that of current president Xi Jinping. Under Hu, the annual number of exercises hovered around zero or one exercise per year until 2006, grew to five exercises in 2007, dropped to two exercises in 2008, and eventually reached nine exercises at the end of his rule in 2012.
Yet the increased emphasis on PLA foreign relations is especially evident in 2014, when the number of PLA joint exercises with foreign militaries grew from seven in 2013 to sixteen in 2014.
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