Historical Organization
People’s Liberation Army
People’s Liberation Army
Details
Organization Timeline
Liaoshen Campaign ends with Communist victory
📅 2 November 1948The Communist victory in northeast China gave its forces control of Manchuria’s industrial base and a large arsenal. It shifted the civil-war balance decisively and laid material foundations for the...
Sino-Indian border war begins
📅 20 October 1962Chinese and Indian forces clashed along a disputed Himalayan border. China’s victory altered regional security and damaged Afro-Asian solidarity built at Bandung, revealing the limits of non-alignment...
The “Sixteen Points” formalize the Cultural Revolution’s mass campaign
📅 8 August 1966The Central Committee’s decision framed the Cultural Revolution as a mass movement to challenge alleged capitalist restoration within the Party. It empowered political mobilization but destabilized...
Armed clash on Zhenbao Island intensifies Sino-Soviet split
📅 2 March 1969Chinese and Soviet forces fought on the Ussuri River island known in China as Zhenbao and in the Soviet Union as Damansky. The border confrontation exposed the fragility of socialist...
Gang of Four arrested
📅 6 October 1976Hua Guofeng’s leadership arrested Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen. The move ended the immediate succession struggle after Mao’s death and became the political marker for...
Sino-Vietnamese War begins
📅 17 February 1979Chinese forces crossed into northern Vietnam in a brief but destructive war. The conflict followed Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia and reflected rivalry, border tensions, and the Sino-Soviet split....
Tiananmen crackdown deepens the divide between growth and political voice
📅 4 June 1989Military force ended the Beijing protest movement and triggered international condemnation and sanctions. Economic reform continued under stronger political constraints. A decolonial account must hold...
US EP-3 aircraft collides with a Chinese fighter
📅 1 April 2001A US reconnaissance plane and Chinese interceptor collided over the South China Sea; the Chinese pilot died and the US aircraft made an emergency landing on Hainan. The incident produced a...
China and Russia begin Peace Mission 2005 military exercise
📅 18 August 2005Chinese and Russian forces conducted a large joint exercise, with participation by other Shanghai Cooperation Organization states. It demonstrated expanding military cooperation and regional...
China opens its first overseas military support base in Djibouti
📅 1 August 2017China formally opened a logistics support base near Djibouti’s port and key shipping routes. Beijing described it as supporting peacekeeping and anti-piracy operations; analysts also viewed it as a...
PRC marks its 70th anniversary with a major parade
📅 1 October 2019Beijing staged a large military parade and public celebration of the PRC’s founding. The event projected national unity and technological-military modernization; a decolonial account also asks whose...
Deadly clash in Galwan Valley worsens China-India relations
📅 15 June 2020Chinese and Indian troops fought in the Galwan Valley along their disputed Himalayan frontier, causing deaths on both sides. The confrontation exposed the limits of economic interdependence as a...
PLA launches large-scale military drills around Taiwan
📅 4 August 2022The People’s Liberation Army began extensive exercises around Taiwan after Pelosi’s visit, including missile launches and air and naval activity. The drills demonstrated coercive power and intensified...
China marks 80th anniversary of victory over Japan with military parade
📅 3 September 2025China held a major parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the global defeat of fascism. The state’s commemoration emphasized...