China will cut troops with outdated armaments, non-combat personnel

Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told reporters on Thursday that China's latest troop cut mainly target those "equipped with outdated armaments, administrative staff and non-combat personnel".

President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that China will cut the number of its troops by 300,000.

Xi announced the decision when delivering a speech in Tian'anmen Square in Beijing to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The latest cut "will be basically completed as of the end of 2017" in order to optimize the structure of Chinese forces, Yang said at a news conference in Beijing.

Since the 1980s, China has downsized its military, in three stages, by 1 million, 500,000 and 200,000 personnel, and currently there are 2.3 million members.

Xi's announcement "has fully demonstrated China's sincerity and hope in jointly championing peace, seeking development and enjoying prosperity with various countries in the world", he said.

The decision has also displayed the country's "proactive, responsible attitude toward advancing international arms control and disarmament", the spokesman added.

When asked if the Thursday announcement signified a start to a new round of national defense and military reform, Yang said the country "will come up with some new reforming measures" as its next step to "proactively and steadily press ahead with national defense and military reform".