China is rapidly improving its military capabilities, transforming the People's Liberation Army (PLA) into an increasingly sophisticated and capable force. How China continues to develop its military power, how it thinks about the use of force, and how it seeks to employ military means to achieve broader political and strategic objectives will significantly shape global security and international politics in the decades to come. This report designs an analytical framework for studying and assessing military power in general and China's military power in particular. It provides a discussion of research methods and presents an overview of the existing field of research on China's military and the PLA. The report also includes a description of the PLA's force structure and equipment and China's defence-industrial base. The overarching aim of the report is to establish a conceptual and methodological foundation for future reports and recurring studies on China's military power.