China Military 'Lean, Responsive' After Cutbacks
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military has cut back its troops by 200,000, the official mouthpiece of the People's Liberation Army said on Monday, reinforcing its high-tech military ambitions to overtake rival Taiwan. ADVERTISEMENT

The Liberation Army Daily said the two-year program to slim China's military was finished on schedule at the end of 2005, and troop numbers were actually down by 230,000, or just over 9 percent.

China had 2.5 million serving military in 2003 when the cuts started. In 1987, it had about 4.2 million.

The reforms included reducing layers in the command hierarchy, cutting non-battle units such as schools and farms, and rearranging officer duties.

"The personnel system reforms have brought heartening changes to our military development. They've compressed troop numbers and optimized the personnel structure," the paper said.

"Our military is marching toward the goal of an appropriately sized, structurally balanced, lean, command-responsive fighting force."

After the cutbacks, the proportion of military serving in the infantry had fallen to a "historic low," while the share in the navy, air force and Second Artillery Corps -- which maintains China's nuclear missiles -- had risen, the paper said.

The paper also said that "high-tech" forces had increased. China has accelerated developing or buying several advanced weapons, including surveillance satellites, missiles, and "blue water" naval vessels and submarines.

Military analysts say that many of these innovations were intended to reinforce China's military threat against Taiwan -- the self-governed island that China claims as its own -- and to counter U.S. military dominance in the Asia-Pacific region.

China, which may analysts believe still lacks the military strength for decisive action against Taiwan, has said it will not rule out war if Taiwan pushes for formal independence.

The two sides have been ideological foes since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.

China's retired party chief, Jiang Zemin, was still head of the Central Military Commission when the cutbacks began, but an editorial in the Liberation Army Daily reserved praise for Hu Jintao, Jiang's successor who became chairman of the CMC in September 2004.

"Chairman Hu's instructions set a clear direction for completing adjustment and reform of the military personnel system," it said.

On Tuesday, Hu visited the Liberation Army Daily and told its staff to "adhere to a correct political orientation."

China's official military budget in 2005 was about $30 billion, a 12.6 percent rise on the previous years. But many foreign militaries and experts believe the country's real military spending is significantly higher.

A Pentagon report in July said the United States was concerned about China's military modernization and estimated China spent $90 billion on defense in 2005 -- an estimate that some U.S. defense experts have said is probably an undercount.

The Liberation Army Daily said more reforms to China's military were planned for 2006, including further reducing officer numbers.