The clock is ticking for the People’s Liberation Army: the world’s largest army is under pressure to deliver on Chinese president Xi Jinping’s most sweeping military reforms in 30 years, intended to match the technological capabilities of the US, its main adversary.

After more than two decades of steady increases in defence spending that have left the Chinese military better equipped, Beijing is restructuring its army so it can extract the maximum benefits from its new high-tech gear.

Mr Xi’s goal to see the reforms’ “initial results” by next year sits alongside economic, political and technological benchmarks China’s Communist party wants to hit before its 100th anniversary in 2021. The Chinese leader wants to see the PLA’s modernisation completed by 2035 and make it a “world-class” force capable of fighting and winning wars anywhere by 2050.