People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army was the ground component of the armed forces of the People's Republic of China.

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 seventy of 77 warheads). Others were not so lucky: Salt Lake City was hit by thirteen warheads and reduced to an unrecognizable wasteland.

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, 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 analogue 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. Chinese saboteurs even attempted to sabotage the Hoover Dam in Nevada.

The largest of their spy networks was 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. A roving eighteen-wheeler contained the mobile headquarters of the infiltration operations, with further safehouses and field operations established at various locations, including a listening post in the Taft Tunnel, 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.

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. Of note are the stealthy Yangtze-class submarines, grouped as part of the elusive Ghost Fleet (DIA reporting name), 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 Shih-huang-ti, washed ashore in San Francisco and gave rise to the Shi.

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. Switchboard terminals; Research Terminal, > 2075 Dec 17: "> 2075 Dec 17 OFFICIAL RECORD "Could you repeat for the general what you just told me?" > Posit. Chinese stealth technology far outstrips our own capabilities. Posit. The Chinese intelligence apparatus is sufficient to conceal large scale research operations from American operatives. Conclusion. The Chinese have a 91% chance of having conducted large scale experimentation with Stealth Tech. ''"Large scale? What do you mean? What are their capabilities?" > American projects involving this technology (refer to "Stealth Boy") have merely reverse engineered captured Hei Gui suits. The underlying science of this technology is unknown. So the theoretical limits are also unknown. However the so-called "Ghost Fleet" that station A-31 and B-19 reported in November may indicate that testing has already commenced with submersible vessels. "Dear God. You think they have stealth subs?" > A second order approximation is inconclusive. Explanation. The logic chain of these assumptions have too much variability. Further data is required. "So you can't even give me a guess?" > Machine/human interface aborted. "Sorry, sir. We're working on some of her glitches. P.A.M... well, she gets real stubborn when she's doing too much guesswork." ''"Stubborn? She's a machine." ''"Sir. With each new version, well, she's getting quirky." ''"There's no way I'm taking this stealth sub nonsense to the Joint Chiefs unless I have proof. It's goddamned ludicrous to think the Chinese have been working on something this big and we've heard nothing." > Virtually no actionable intelligence has come out of the Shaanxi Province for 3.1 years. However, the province reports a spike in the imports of complex polymers and other key synthetic compounds. The quantity in question is consistent with stealth technology research on the macro scale. "Until you can give me something concrete, I don't want to hear another goddamned word about this.''" 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.

Interestingly, 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. It has also implemented its own human enhancement programs, which inspired American scientists, but failed to achieve success comparable to U.S. scientists.

Firearms

 * Type 93 Chinese assault rifles
 * Xuanlong Assault Rifle, a unique Chinese assault rifle
 * Red Victory grenade rifle
 * Shanxi Type 17 Chinese pistol
 * Zhu-Rong v418 Chinese pistol, an experimental variant of the above pistol.
 * MEC Gauss minigun

Melee

 * Chinese officer's sword
 * Jingwei's shocksword
 * General Chao's Revenge

Apparel

 * Chinese jumpsuits
 * Winterized Chinese jumpsuits
 * Chinese stealth armor
 * Chinese commando hat
 * Hat of the People
 * Red star pin

PLA Ground force

 * Chimera tanks

PLA Air force

 * Xian-85 fighter jets
 * Chinese bomber

PLA Navy

 * Submarines
 * SSN-37-1A recon submarine
 * Shi-huang-ti submarine
 * Yangtze-class submarines

Technical manuals

 * Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual

Robots

 * Liberator

Appearances
The People's Liberation Army are mentioned in all Fallout games, but only appear in Fallout 3, its add-on Operation:Anchorage, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76.