Commentary U.S. military planners are justifiably concerned that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is fielding increasingly advanced military and space platforms and systems in impressive quantities. But is this the heart of the Chinese threat to the United States? Or is Beijing’s non-military conflict capability of greater concern? And, even then, under what circumstances would China—or, rather, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—successfully challenge the U.S. strategically? The CCP has, for a quarter century, outlined its doctrine of “unrestricted warfare,” in which it challenges the United States but clearly indicates that its form of total war (unrestricted war) relies on the avoidance of direct military contact between the two powers. What, then, is the principal use of the PLA? First, the PLA is a psychopolitical instrument rather than a military warfighting instrument. The PLA must achieve prestige at home and abroad. The power and efficiency of PLA capabilities is designed to …