China Army

The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) is organized under five joint Theater Commands: Eastern, Southern, Western, Northern, and Central. Operational combat forces are divided among 13 Group Armies, numbered 71 through 83. Eastern Theater Command Ground Force is headquartered in Fuzhou and controls the 71st, 72nd, and 73rd Group Armies. Southern Theater Command Ground Force is headquartered in Nanning and commands the 74th and 75th Group Armies. Western Theater Command Ground Force operates from Lanzhou, overseeing the 76th and 77th Group Armies. Northern Theater Command Ground Force is headquartered in Jinan and manages the 78th, 79th, and 80th Group Armies. Central Theater Command Ground Force is based in Shijiazhuang and directs the 81st, 82nd, and 83rd Group Armies. Group Armies structure their operational components into combined-arms brigades categorized as heavy tracked, medium 8x8 wheeled, light motorized, amphibious, and mountain formations.

Armored formations field Type 99A and Type 96B main battle tanks, alongside Type 15 light tanks assigned to high-altitude and light-mechanized units. Tracked mechanized infantry units operate ZBD-04A infantry fighting vehicles, while medium wheeled brigades use the ZBL-08 8x8 vehicle family. Amphibious combined-arms brigades employ ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicles and ZBD-05 tracked infantry fighting vehicles. Artillery brigades field PCL-181 155mm truck-mounted howitzers, PLZ-05 tracked self-propelled howitzers, and PHL-16 long-range multiple launch rocket systems. Air defense assets include HQ-16 medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, HQ-17A short-range tracked surface-to-air missile systems, and PGZ-09 twin 35mm self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. Army aviation brigades operate Z-10 attack helicopters, Z-19 reconnaissance helicopters, Z-20 medium utility helicopters, and Z-8 heavy transport helicopters.

Modernization programs focus on digitizing combined-arms tactical units, expanding unmanned ground vehicles, and integrating multi-rotor reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles at company and battalion levels. Domestic defense production supplies newly manufactured PCL-181 howitzers, Z-20 helicopters, and armored electronic warfare variants across all theater commands. Ground forces maintain forward-deployed positions along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Theater Command and along the coastal regions of the Eastern Theater Command. Overseas operations consist of logistical personnel stationed at the Support Base in Djibouti and peacekeepers assigned to United Nations missions, including UNMISS in South Sudan and UNIFIL in Lebanon.