The CCP also revised PAP funding to strengthen central control. Stronger central control of the PAP removes these troops from possible misuse by local power holders, deters potential challengers to Beijing's authority, and enables the central government to deploy the forces to carry out its own strategic plans, such as consolidation of political control over the western provinces. However, the militarization of the PAP raises the prospect that domestic security concerns will be considered in military terms, further weakening what little remains of the rights of the people of China, especially in the ethnic-minority dominated provinces featuring a heavy PAP presence. | The CCP also revised PAP funding to strengthen central control. Stronger central control of the PAP removes these troops from possible misuse by local power holders, deters potential challengers to Beijing's authority, and enables the central government to deploy the forces to carry out its own strategic plans, such as consolidation of political control over the western provinces. However, the militarization of the PAP raises the prospect that domestic security concerns will be considered in military terms, further weakening what little remains of the rights of the people of China, especially in the ethnic-minority dominated provinces featuring a heavy PAP presence. |