People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army was the unified military force of the People's Republic of China, comprised of both the ground units of the Chinese army and naval forces of the Chinese navy. It was involved in numerous battles during the Resource Wars and ultimately retaliated with nuclear force during the last days of the Great War.

Background
Answering to Chairman Cheng, the People's Liberation Army and its naval components played a crucial role in maintaining the nation's influence worldwide. They played a pivotal role in the Resource Wars, responsible for fighting the United States and its armed forces during the Sino-American War, from the initial invasion and occupation of Alaska in 2066 to a defensive war in mainland China in the wake of the 2074 American invasion.

When it became apparent that the United States would not stop until China was completely destroyed, China launched its nuclear weapons. At 09:13 EST, the Integrated Operational Nuclear Detection System detected the first four missile launches and the United States went to DEFCON 2. Four minutes later, NORAD confirmation sealed the fate of the world. At 09:26 EST, the president ordered a retaliatory strike according to scenario MX-CN91. As American weapons were launched, the first Chinese nukes hit in Pennsylvania and New York at 09:42 EST. By 09:47 EST, most American facilities went offline.

The attack was erratic, but devastating: Washington, D.C. was hit after the West Coast was destroyed, including strategic targets like the West-Tek Research Facility. Some secondary targets, like Las Vegas and the adjacent Nellis AFB, escaped destruction thanks to missile defenses (which shot down or disabled 68 of the 77 warheads aimed at the city). Others were not so lucky: Salt Lake City was hit by thirteen warheads and reduced to an unrecognizable wasteland.

Post-War
Liberator robots could still be found in working condition, spreading propaganda posters after the Great War in Appalachia. According to Dick Richardson of the Enclave, the Chinese might have been the ones to use a nuclear attack first, saying, "...and then those damn reds launched...". It is believed they launched thousands of bombers and ICBMs that swept across the United States from west coast to east, as according to Carol when questioned about the Great War in Underworld, "...we had some warning after the west coast dropped off the map..." While the People's Liberation Army mostly targeted major strategic objectives, such as West-Tek facilities and Washington, D.C.. Despite this, nuclear-powered subs off America's East Coast received orders to fire their full payload of SLBM's, with subs complying such as the Yangtze-31 commanded by Captain Zao. After the Great War, the remaining Chinese remnants in the United States slowly withered out and died, becoming feral ghouls or barely eking out an existence in the post-apocalyptic wasteland as non-ferals. Nonetheless, Chinese infiltrators remained in the District of Columbia, taking shelter in Mama Dolce's processing factory. The Shi also survived on America's West Coast, and built a society around the salvaged remains of their submarine, referring to its central computer as "the Emperor."

Ghoulified Chinese remnants over 200 years following the Great War still inhabited Mama Dolce's food factory building in D.C. where the covert People's Republic of America operation and the radio broadcasts were still in effect, albeit with no further purpose. The American city of Pittsburgh also featured numerous smuggled Chinese weapons, with most of the Chinese infiltrators being killed just after the Great War.

Army
The army was responsible for land operations, ranging from conventional warfare on all fronts of the war to subterfuge and infiltration in mainland America. The People's Liberation Army relied on its vast reserves of manpower and industrial capacity to maintain its edge, though unlike the United States, the focus was put on firepower rather than personal protection. Chinese soldiers were issued jumpsuits rather than hard combat armor, though the Type 93 assault rifles that were the workhorse of the army were significantly more powerful than substitute standard American R91s, as well as the "Red Victory" grenade rifle, which were faster to reload but did less damage than American Great Bear grenade rifles, even being used by American army forces for that very reason. The key to the Chinese doctrine were tanks, used to support infantry operations during the invasion of Alaska. However, when they were countered by early power armor Americans deployed, China realized that it had no analog and rushed to create its own versions.

The Chinese had an extremely effective intelligence and security apparatus. Apart from concealing its stealth research, Chinese operatives infiltrated mainland United States and set up an extensive covert network of spies and intelligence operatives. China even managed to set up regular patrols by Chinese submarines, such as the SSN-37-1A. In Fallout: New Vegas cut content, there is mention of Chinese saboteurs attempting to sabotage the Hoover Dam in Nevada.

The largest of their spy networks were located in and around Washington D.C.. Soldiers, operators, and spies from the elite 127th Iron Division operated out of a fake food processing factory in Arlington, called Mama Dolce's. Further safehouses and field operations established at various locations, including a listening post in the Taft Tunnel, the bunker at broadcast tower KT8 and an abandoned safehouse in The Pitt's abandoned apartments. Chinese spies also had a strong presence in Point Lookout, especially in the abandoned Chinese intelligence bunker, and around strategic locations like the Mount Desert Island Naval Base.

The army also maintained a covert intelligence facility in Appalachia. Fujiniya Intelligence Base was originally tasked with identifying and destroying alleged factory cities located in the Appalachians, but after these rumors proved untrue, it shifted to intelligence gathering on the Appalachian Automated Launch System, stealth tech research and refining the infamous Liberator robots. At the same time, a detachment of infiltrators was operating covertly beneath The Whitespring Resort. Their mission was the acquisition and operation of a Motherlode drill, presumably to tunnel into the Whitespring Congressional bunker, in an attempt to capture it and its secrets. However, the Great War brought a halt to the mission. As of 2103, they are still trying, though they have been unsuccessful in actually breaking through

Navy
The PLA Navy played a crucial role in maintaining the Chinese ability to wage war, prowling the Atlantic and the Pacific in search of American shipping, warships and allowing Chinese infiltrators to land on American shores undetected. Infiltration submarines like SSN-37-1A patrolled coastal waters and monitored enemy activity, while nuclear ballistic missile submarines ensure first and second-strike capability, even in the face of impending defeat. The stealthy Yangtze-class submarines, grouped as part of the elusive Ghost Fleet (DIA reporting name), were designed to evade detection and strike at American cities and military bases with impunity. At least one, Yangtze-31, fulfilled its mission and delivered a strategic nuclear strike to Boston, though it suffered a collision with a sea mine when trying to evacuate and remained stuck in Boston Harbor for the next two centuries. Another submarine, the Shi-huang-ti, washed ashore in San Francisco and gave rise to the Shi.

Air Force
Though there is little information about it, the PLA did have a functional air force. During the events of Operation: Anchorage, Chinese bombers can be seen flying overhead. The Boomers also mention in their simulations shooting down Xian-85 fighters, implying that these aircraft existed before the war as part of China's air force.

Technology
The Chinese military enjoyed significant reserves of manpower and focused on technologies that capitalized on it. Although the individual Chinese soldier was less protected than his American foe, they had access to high powered weapons and acted as part of a large unit capable of withering the enemy through superior firepower and tactical flexibility afforded by their large numbers. Political training and ruthless officers resulted in a powerful, disciplined force that was a match for American units until the introduction of power armor.

While unsuccessful at creating a powered armor suit of their own, Chinese researches managed to create practical active camouflage technology, commonly referred to as stealth technology. Thanks to an excellent intelligence apparatus that outclassed its U.S. counterparts, China managed to conceal its large scale research operations from American operatives for years. The development of Hei Gui stealth suits allowed for easy penetration of enemy lines and hamstringing American offensive operations where possible. While some units were captured and reverse-engineered, China's efforts continued apace and by 2075 was rumored to possess an entire fleet of stealth submarines, the Ghost Fleet. Operating out of the Shaanxi province, the fleet was the crowning achievement of their macro-scale research effort. As such, stealth suit equipped Crimson Dragoon units stabilized the frontline, while the stealth submarines ensured that China would retain nuclear capability even in the case of a total frontline collapse. Other methods used included the deployment of pulse fields, capable of literally frying power armor operators alive in their suits.

China appears to have been the first to develop wave/field laser technology, later stolen by American spies and repurposed for the Liberty Prime and Tesla cannon projects. In fact, U.S. propaganda popularized the idea of the Chinese having a giant war robot of their own, to build support for such a program on American soil. The purported warmachine was never confirmed to exist outside American propaganda. China also implemented its own human enhancement programs, which inspired American scientists, but failed to achieve success comparable to U.S. scientists.

Firearms

 * Chinese assault rifle
 * Chinese pistol
 * Zhu-Rong v418 Chinese pistol, an experimental variant of the Chinese pistol.
 * Sniper rifle
 * Gauss rifle
 * MEC Gauss minigun
 * Flamer
 * Missile launcher

Melee

 * Chinese officer's sword
 * Jingwei's shocksword, a heavily-modified variant of the normal Chinese officer's sword.
 * General Chao's Revenge
 * Zao's sword

Apparel

 * Chinese stealth armor
 * Chinese jumpsuit
 * General Jingwei's uniform
 * Submariner uniform
 * Communist spy outfit
 * Communist militant outfit
 * Communist commander outfit
 * Red Shift power armor

Robots

 * Spider drone
 * Liberator

Vehicles

 * Xian-85 fighter jet
 * Chinese bomber
 * Chimera tank
 * Yangtze-31
 * Shi-Huang-Ti
 * SSN-37-1A

Technical manuals

 * Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual

Forces

 * Crimson Dragoon
 * Sniper
 * Commando
 * Soldier
 * Inferno unit
 * Launcher
 * Technician
 * Guard dog

Notable personnel

 * People's Liberation Army
 * General Jingwei - Commander of PLA forces during the Anchorage campaign.
 * Chinese remnant captain - Leader of Chinese remnant forces at Mama Dolce's in Arlington.
 * Huang - Chinese infiltrator sent to Mama Dolce's in Arlington before the Great War.
 * Chief scientist Quao - Former head of research and development at Mama Dolce's in Morgantown.
 * Mochou - A secret agent found in The Deep.
 * People's Liberation Navy
 * Captain Zao - Captain of the Yangtze nuclear submarine.
 * First mate - An officer aboard the Yangtze nuclear submarine who was turned into a glowing one by radiation leaking from the submarines damaged reactor.
 * Unnamed Chinese submariner - Crew member of the SSN-37-1A, detained at Turtledove Detention Camp after a failed suicide attempt.

Appearances
The People's Liberation Army is mentioned directly or referred to in some way in all Fallout games, but only appear in Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Wastelanders and Operation: Anchorage.

Behind the scenes

 * The People's Liberation Army is based on the real world entity of the same name.
 * Communist-style items available from the Atomic Shop in Fallout 76 originally contained the People's Liberation Army "八 8"–"一 1" emblem inside the star. These were removed for the final release.