Off the wire
• Parade shows Chinese resolve against repeat of foreign powers' aggression: Kerry Group chairman  • Israel attacks Gaza target after bullets fired at southern Israel  • Malaysia Airlines flight MH19 makes unscheduled landing in India due to broken lavatories  • 4 Turkish police killed in PKK attack  • Urgent: China to finish military cuts by 2017  • Roundup: Obama secures Iran nuclear deal in U.S. Congress  • Tamil chief appointed as opposition leader in Sri Lanka's new parliament  • Xinhua Insight: China pledges peace, cut of troops at WWII victory commemoration  • China publishes over 7,000 volumes of local records  • Taiwan stocks close 0.75 pct higher  
You are here: 　 Home

1st Ld: China says to finish military cuts by 2017

Xinhua, September 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

China said Thursday it will complete the cuts of its standing troops by 300,000 by the end of 2017, in its latest effort to build slimmer but stronger armed forces.

The announcement, made by Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, came hours after President Xi Jinping made a pledge of military reduction at China's massive military parade commemorating the end of WWII that was staged on Thursday morning at the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing.

Yang said the move will mainly target troops equipped with outdated armaments, administrative staff and non-combatant personnel, to optimize the structure of Chinese forces.

He said the disarmament decision is in line with the current situation of the state and military. "Chinese armed forces will be slimmer but more capable, and their composition will be more scientific."

This will be the fourth military reduction for China since 1980s, which boasts the world's biggest militaries of 2.3 million. In 1985, China downsized its army by more than 1 million, the biggest scale ever.

Yang added that the reform will adopt a step-by-step approach. "More reform measures will be released." Endi