Their news is state-run and they teach a twisted version of history. It was evident in some of the comments I read.
And you're separating the PLA from China. Last I heard, they are the same. Are you suggesting that the PLA would go to war without China's support? Or maybe you're suggesting that the PLA will drag China into a war it doesn't want? Dunno. As multiple people have noted, the stakes are high for a war with the US, however it is hard for us to know who is in charge over there.
Originally, when the PLA was truly the People's Liberation Army, it was the revolution-spreading right hand of Mao and the CCP. Mao and his cronies stood side-by-side with the PLA throughout the war against Japan and during the following civil war. However, in the reform era, the vast majority of party members and government officials have been technocrats with little or no connection to the military. This, plus the fact that China doesn't have the separation of powers no clear delineation of military rule means that there is a growing gulf between military and civilian leadership. While Hu may have direct control of the military due to his leadership role, no one else does. You don't see China's legislative body determining pay, promotion or base closures. When China's number two, Wen Jiabao asked the military to go help earthquake victims in Sichuan, they told him to stuff it; they later followed the order when it came from Hu.
Even then though, there appears to be a huge lack of communication owing both to the frightening complexity of the one-party state, but also possibly to a lack of direct communication between the civilian leadership and that of the military. If you look at recent events this is evident; it took between one and to weeks for the Foreign Ministry to respond to the USNS Impecable harassment, ASAT test and the EP-3 landing on Hainan. More recently, it's been reported that when SECDEF asked Hu about the J-20 test, Hu drew a blank.
What's unnerving is that there appears to be a gulf in control, but also that the military is hypernationalist, not well travelled and too big for its britches. On the outside looking it, it doesn't seem apparent that China is aware of how far behind the US it is or just how well trained our Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and Airmen are (sounds familiar, no?). The civilian leadership probably knows that any war with the US would reveal this fact and cause huge embarrassment. Coupled with the ensuing economic crisis that would occur, you'd probably see the end of the CCP and one-party state in China.
The Chinese government wants to do everything in its power to stay in-power. The PLA doesn't really have to play by the rules of logic or, it appears, the whims of the government.
As for brainwashing, China is hardly the only country to adhere to truthiness when telling its history. Plus, it's not like anyone REALLY buys the BS. In the past three weeks, all the Chinese I've talked to have been opinionated about everything from Clinton's infidelity to the lack of freedom of speech in-country. When was the last time you really took to hear a PSA? Or for that matter, when was the last time you read a comment on Yahoo news that made you go: wow, that was logical/not retarded. VPN's are no big secret and the theatrics of government officials are scoffed at. Everybody here wants to live a normal live, and as long as the government can encourage that, you'll see them staying in power...if they can't, then by by totalitarian state and hello unrest.
That is my long-winded 2 cents.
BTW, for an insight into what Chinese netizens are thinking, head over to chinasmack.com
