China in the reform of the people’s liberation army (PLA) can reduce the number of land forces more than a quarter, which is about 200 thousand troops. About it reports The South China Morning Post, citing a source in military circles.
Five of the 18 combined arms army groups will be disbanded, the newspaper notes. The soldiers of these compounds will be discharged or transferred to other types of troops. In particular, we are talking about air force, Navy and missile forces, generated by recent reforms.
It is noted that the retired will receive a one-time monetary compensation. Thus, according to interlocutors of the newspaper, the payment may be delayed for five years. The authorities are afraid of protests from the soldiers, because the reduction of the army meets with serious discontent within the armed forces.
In the fall of 2015, Chinese President XI Jinping announced that the PLA will affect large-scale reform. In particular, by 2018 it is planned to reduce the armed forces to 2 million soldiers.