Abstract

Since 1949, relations between the people’s Liberation Army and the Chinese Communist Party have considerably evolved. Formerly guardian of the revolution, the army is now the guardian of the national security of the country, and is now stating emphatically the case for a new need: that of professionalism. Parallel to this process, the army is no longer placed under the control of the strongmen of the regime, be they Mao or Deng Xiaoping, the latter having according to the civil power an institutional authority which Jiang Zemin, his successor, has made full use of. But the Taiwan question would seem to divide the leaders of the army and those of the party. For this the former do not hesitate to conceptualise a resort to military action, the latter would favour the preservation of the statu quo. Furthermore, it is not certain that, in the event of a serious crisis, the party would not be forced to align itself with the military position so as not to risk being accused of betraying the national interest.


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