Politicalization or Professionalism? A Case Study of the Military’s Discourse in China

Published date01 January 2022
Date01 January 2022
DOI10.1177/0095327X20906848
Subject MatterArticles
2022, Vol. 48(1) 185 –204
Politicalization or
Professionalism? A Case
Study of the Military’s
Discourse in China
Zhifan Luo
1
Abstract
After decades of military reform, how does the Chinese military justify its persistent
role in politics and social life? This mixed-methods study examines the discursive
strategies used by military deputies to understand how a semi-professional military
speak to its relations to the Party, its own organizational missions and goals, and
potential conflicts between them. Computer-assisted text analysis is combined with
targeted deep reading to identify and examine latent topics in comments made by
military deputies between 2001 and 2017. The findings show that the military
deputies simultaneously mobilize a political discourse and a discourse of pro-
fessionalism. This duality of discourse constitutes a source of legitimacy for the
military’s pursuit of corporate interests.
Keywords
civil–military relations, political discourse, professionalism, computer-assisted text
analysis, China, People’s Liberation Army
China’s recent emergence as not only an economic but also a geopolitical power has
renewed attention to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as a rising global player.
Since 2012, China’s defense budget has been second only to that of the Unite d
1
Department of Sociology, University at Albany—State University of New York, NY, USA
Corresponding Author:
Zhifan Luo, Department of Sociology, University at Albany—State University of New York, 351 Arts &
Sciences Bldg., 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USA.
Email: zluo2@albany.edu
Armed Forces & Society
ªThe Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X20906848
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Article
186 Armed Forces & Society 48(1)
States.
1
To many outside observers, the PLA has boosted its aggression in territorial
disputes since then (Continetti, 2018). Beyond Asia, Chinese troops have been
deployed throughout the world to regions of conflict through the United Nations
peacekeeping platform (Lanteigne, 2018). Behind China’s increasing military pres-
ence and commitment at the global stage lie its decades-long efforts to reform and
modernize its armed forces. Despite early success in strategic weapon development,
these efforts were interrupted in the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. They
then lagged because of the civilian authority’s reduced commitment to defense
spending in the era of economic reform. Around the turn of the century, military
reforms gathered momentum, leading to notable doctrinal, technological, and orga-
nizational breakthroughs (Cheung, 2013; Wuthnow & Saunders, 2017). These
breakthroughs were soon noticed by the United States. In 2002, under the provision
of the National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Secretary of Defense began
submitting an annual report on China’s military strategy to Congress.
Despite progress, China’s military reform has failed to deliver one prospect that
several outside China observers predicted in the 1980s (Jencks, 1982; Joffe, 1987). A
more technologically sophisticated and modern warfare–adapted (i.e., more profes-
sionalized) PLA wavered little over its political involvement and special ties to the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Although there are signs of cracks between the
civilian authority and the military leadersoccasionally (Chase et al., 2015; Lo,2014),
the PLA remains a trusted ally of the CCP in the eyes of most China experts. It also
continues to play an unneglectable role in China’s political and social life.
Political roles for the military, tho ugh common among nondemocracies (and
democracies as well some argue), are viewed as violating the norms of professional
armed forces. Thus, after decades of military modernization and professionalization,
how does the Chinese military justify its role in politics? How does a semi-
professional military—if the PLA can be characterized as such—speak to its rela-
tions to the Party, its own organizational missions and goals, and potential conflicts
between them? To answer these questions, I used a mixed-methods research design
to examine the discursive strategies of mi litary deputies. I combined computer-
assisted text analysis with targeted deep reading to identify and examine latent topics
in the comments of military deputies at the Chinese congress, the National People’s
Congress (NPC), in 2001–2017. These comments were collected from the PLA
Daily, the official newspaper of the PLA. I found that the military deputies simul-
taneously mobilize a political discourse emphasizing loyalty and tradition and a
discourse of professionalism highlighting the military’s expertise and corporateness.
Although it generates tension, this duality of discourse also constitutes a source of
legitimacy for the military’s pursuit of corporate interests, painting the PLA as the
defender of the Chinese nation and its “great renaissance.”
The remainder of this article begins with an introduction to the three major
theories on civil–military relations and the military’s political role in the Chinese
case. Then, I explain the mixed-methods research design and data-collection, before
presenting the findings from the analysis. I close the article with a brief discussion of
2Armed Forces & Society XX(X)

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