Publication

This study attempts to understand and explain the organizational development of the military-business complex surrounding the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). The author examines the historical antecedents of the Chinese military-business complex; identifies the circumstances, political constraints, key players, and critical decisions involved in the decision to expand the PLA's role in the post-Mao economy; and analyzes the evolution of structure and process in the military-business complex. The report also explores the consequences of increased military participation in the economy, and assesses the origins and relative success of the divestiture of the Chinese military economy initiated in July 1998.