New Delhi, Sept. 6 -- In most modern democracies, the armed forces swear allegiance to the constitution and serve the state. In China, however, the story is starkly different. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) functions not as a national army but as the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This design is no accident; it is rooted in law, ideology and practice and has been carefully reinforced under President Xi Jinping.

CONSTITUTIONAL LOYALTY TO THE PARTYChina's legal framework leaves little ambiguity. The National Defence Law and the Chinese Constitution position the PLA firmly under the Party, not the state. Article 19 of the Defence Law specifies that "the armed forces of the People's Republic of China are led by the C...