August 1 is China's Founding Army Day, and the People's Liberation Army's 99th anniversary drew fresh assessments of its modernization progress; analysts at the South China Morning Post say the PLA is advancing toward its 2027 world-class military target faster than US defence planners expected
Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang received full general rank from Xi in a Beijing ceremony on July 3; the promotions are the latest phase of CMC reconstruction following the 2023-24 purge and the January 2026 ousters of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, which left the Central Military Commission with just two active members