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China to reorganise its armed forces: Report
Washington, June 11: In a major revamp exercise, China has decided to downsize the People`s Liberation Army by 20 per cent, removing 500,000 of its troops.
Washington, June 11: In a major revamp exercise, China has decided to downsize the People's Liberation Army by 20 per cent, removing 500,000 of its troops.
The plan, aimed at turning the world's largest standing military into a streamlined, modern organisation, would cut the size of the Army over the next five years to about 1.85 million troops, a media report said today quoting Chinese sources.
The troop cuts were approved during the 16th Congress of the Communist Party in November and at a subsequent meeting of the Central Military Commission, the country's highest military body, the 'Washington Post' said.
The Chinese government, which spends up to USD 60 billion annually on defence, is undertaking military modernisation as Beijing seeks to put to use its emerging economic power into greater geopolitical influence.
While there has been notable economic success here, military modernisation has proved elusive. In late April, 70 sailors and officers died on board a submarine in the country's worst publicly acknowledged military accident.
The cuts would focus on demobilising a vast array of nonessential personnel, the second major troop cutback since 1997, the report said.
However, Chinese military officers said they expect no broad structural changes in the PLA as long as former president Jiang Zemin retains control as chairman of the Central Miltary Commission.
Bureau Report
The troop cuts were approved during the 16th Congress of the Communist Party in November and at a subsequent meeting of the Central Military Commission, the country's highest military body, the 'Washington Post' said.
The Chinese government, which spends up to USD 60 billion annually on defence, is undertaking military modernisation as Beijing seeks to put to use its emerging economic power into greater geopolitical influence.
While there has been notable economic success here, military modernisation has proved elusive. In late April, 70 sailors and officers died on board a submarine in the country's worst publicly acknowledged military accident.
The cuts would focus on demobilising a vast array of nonessential personnel, the second major troop cutback since 1997, the report said.
However, Chinese military officers said they expect no broad structural changes in the PLA as long as former president Jiang Zemin retains control as chairman of the Central Miltary Commission.
Bureau Report