![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1280/720/90/media-assets/image/20231111_SRR_SQ.jpg)
China’s armed forces
Unknown soldiers
Special reports -
Overestimating China’s armed forces would be dangerous, argues Jeremy Page
![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1424/801/90/media-assets/image/20231111_SRP548.jpg)
Unknown soldiers
The People’s Liberation Army is not yet as formidable as the West fears
Overestimating China’s armed forces would be dangerous, argues Jeremy Page
![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1424/801/90/media-assets/image/20231111_SRP549.jpg)
Rank indifference
China is struggling to recruit enough highly skilled troops
The PLA needs them to operate all its new weapons
![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1424/801/90/media-assets/image/20231111_SRP544.jpg)
Weapons of woe
From hypersonic missiles to undersea drones, the PLA is making leaps
But China’s military tech still lags behind the West’s
![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1424/801/90/media-assets/image/20231111_SRP546.jpg)
Peace disease
Xi Jinping worries that China’s troops are not ready to fight
Now the war in Ukraine has revealed new challenges for the PLA
![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1424/801/90/media-assets/image/20231111_SRP065.jpg)
Command or control
Xi Jinping is obsessed with political loyalty in the PLA
Ideology is undermining China’s drive to prepare forces for combat
![](https://www.economist.com/img/b/1424/801/90/media-assets/image/20231111_SRP543.jpg)
Operation overload
Invading Taiwan would be a logistical minefield for China
Russia’s problems in Ukraine make it look even more daunting
Previous report
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The world economy
Homeland Economics
Special reports -
Governments across the world are rediscovering industrial policy. They are making a big mistake, argues Callum Williams
- Redividing the world: Governments across the world are discovering “homeland economics”
- Demand for supplies: Attempts to make supply chains “resilient” are likely to fail
- State v market: “Homeland economics” will make the world poorer
- Missing the point: New industrial policies will make the world more unequal
- Second-best: Green protectionism comes with big risks
- In search of a problem: New industrial policies will not help economic stability
- Insight: Video: Busting globalisation myths
- The world economy: Sources and acknowledgments