News Analysis China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is weakened by low morale and lack of combat experience. “Good steel does not become nails,” so goes the Chinese saying, which means good, talented people do not become soldiers. The one-child policy, a cultural lack of respect for soldiers, poor pay, a deficiency of combat experience, and a need to protect the borders makes the PLA much less effective than the U.S. military. Low Morale Japanese and American military experts speculate the PLA troops suffer from low morale. This is partly due to the low status of soldiers in Chinese society. And also owing to the country’s long-standing one-child policy. More than 70 percent of PLA soldiers are the only children in their family, making the PLA the world’s leading “one-child army.” Chinese parents are more protective of their children, in general, than are American parents. Additionally, the Confucian culture puts tremendous …