China is downsizing its army to under a million; PLA to be cut by three lakh troops

In the biggest troop cut, China is going to downsize its army and bring it under a million. China, which has the largest military in the world, will reduce at least three lakh troopers from its strength.

As per an official Chinese daily, China's army will undergo a restructuring process and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will increase the numbers of other services, such as navy and missile forces.

The PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military, stated PLA will undergo fundamental changes.

Jun Zhengping Studio, a Chinese social WeChat account run by the newspaper published an article yesterday 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".

"This is the first time that active PLA army personnel would be reduced to below one million," it said.

It added that the number of troops in the PLA Navy, PLA Strategic Support Force and the PLA Rocket Force will be increased, while the PLA Air Force's active service personnel will remain the same.

It is noteworthy Chinese President Xi Jinping, in 2015, had announced that the PLA will be cut by three lakh troops.