S9 Ep34: Is China’s Military Ready for War? PLA Readiness, Regime Stability, and Taiwan with Timothy Heath

Is the Chinese military really ready for war? In this episode,
Chris and Matt speak with Timothy Heath, a senior international
defense researcher at RAND Corporation, about his provocative new
report The Chinese Military’s Doubtful Combat Readiness. Heath
argues that the PLA remains deeply shaped by its political
mission to preserve CCP rule—and is poorly optimized for high-end
combat. They discuss how China’s military modernization masks
enduring political constraints, why in his view war over Taiwan
remains unlikely, and what China might do instead to challenge US
interests through proxy warfare, cyber, and global coercion.
Heath also explores the CCP’s legitimacy crisis, China’s evolving
strategic partnerships with Russia and Iran, and why the specter
of global systemic war can’t be ruled out.

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Read Timothy’s reporting

The Chinese Military's Doubtful Combat Readiness:
https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA830-1.html

Timothy’s other work for the RAND Corporation:
https://www.rand.org/about/people/h/heath_timothy_r.html

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Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence,
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Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode unpacks global events
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