China crisis: Is Xi Jinping’s mega-army useless?

With two million active soldiers, China has the largest military in the world. But does it know what it’s doing? Even with some of the most advanced military tech in the world their ability to use it is unclear. Laura Makin-Isherwood speaks to Timothy Heath, senior international defence researcher at the RAND Corporation, to find out if Xi’s army is something we should be worried about – or if they have all the gear and no idea. 

• "Xi’s army has no experience operating large combat forces on another continent." 
• “As the Chinese developed their economic ties, they are also sharing their preferred political values.”
• “The Chinese military conscripts a quarter of their force because they cannot attract enough volunteers.”



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Written and presented by Laura Makin-Isherwood. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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