Xi Jinping and the People’s Liberation Army Restructuring

Restructuring has empowered Xi to control the People’s Liberation Army by dismantling general departments and requiring new Central Military Commission agencies to report to him directly; by separating monitoring agencies from performing agencies to enhance "checks and oversight"; and by dividing powers for "construction" and for "operations" between services and theatres. Restructuring has also divested regional headquarters of responsibility of running army units. This enables theatres to become genuinely multi-service, laying the basis for joint operations.