Long special in this weeks Economist on the PLA.
Major takeaway- not as formidable as some people think
1. Difficulty in recruiting highly skilled troops - fall out from the single child policy
2. Weapons - some are very modern but they are still heavily dependent on Russia/Ukraine etc. Especially for marine & aircraft engines of all sorts
3. Lack of experience - haven't fought a war or engaged in active "peace keeping" of any sort for over 40 years. Zero experience of land/sea operations
4. Rampant corruption in many parts of the system - including promotions - hence recent clear out of senior Generals
5. Political control - some troops spend 25% of their time studying "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a new era"
6. Desperate need to learn lessons of the Ukraine etc - army still built around Russian type BTG's and all decisions are taken at a much higher level than in the West
7. Logistics - poor - "not strong enough to meet the conditions of modern warfare" according to the PLA Daily in Feb 2023. Most dumps are a long way from anywhere, almost nothing opposite Taiwan for example, and are dependent on outdated systems and poor road and rail connections.