The People's Liberation Army, also known as the PLA, is the military force of the government of China.
In 1989, the PLA was used to end a pro-democracy demonstration at Tianamen Square, resulting in numerous deaths as demonstrators were crushed underneath tanks. Some were also shot at. Annie Littleton was a witness to the event, and as a condition of her emigration to the United States, she was not allowed to discuss what she saw.
Pang Ghiangji was a soldier in the PLA and participated in the carnage there, ordering other soldiers to fire into the crowd. He was later recognized by Littleton in Chinatown in New York City. It was initially believed that this recognition was the cause of her death, but it was later found to be her proximity to an illegal smuggling operation Pang was involved in that did so. (CI: Chinoiserie)