Are the People’s Liberation Army willing to engage in a first strike? Beijing certainly hopes not, they don’t want soldiers striking at all. Mingi links to an LAT item describing the social problems of China’s military modernization:

Over the past two years, the People’s Liberation Army has reportedly slimmed down by 10%, or 230,000, to create a leaner armed forces. However, as the Los Angeles Times reports, those laid off at the expense of a more efficient PLA are taking it to the streets. The LAT article also quotes a correspondent from the Jane’s Defense Weekly, possibly the most well-respected (and most expensive) magazine dealing with military issues. He says, "It’s a bad sign any time the military protests. They really depend on these guys to put down other protests. You can’t have these guys running around protesting with guns."

The article also alludes to a possible disbanding of the elite PLA lychee guarding unit.:

China is also working overtime to lighten many of the army’s ancillary responsibilities, including planting crops, teaching school and running shops. These activities grew out of a tradition dating back to the conflicts with the Japanese and the Nationalists, when fighters were supposed to be self-sufficient.

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