Beijing: China will downsize its 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberation Army to under one million as the world’s largest military effected its biggest troop reduction in history to bolster its navy and strategic missile forces, the official media reported.
The massive troop reduction is part of the restructuring of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and evenly proportion the army and other services, the PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military, reported.
The PLA will increase the numbers of other services, including navy and missile forces, it said.
Jun Zhengping Studio, a Chinese social WeChat account run by the newspaper published an article on Tuesday on structural reform in the military, saying that “the old military structure, where the army accounts for the vast majority, will be replaced after the reform”. The reform is based on China’s strategic goals and security requirements.
PTI