At a news conference on April 27, Yang Yujun the Spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that China consolidated 18 of its armies into 13.
The new armies are given the numbers from 71 to 83, which are brand new designations. China’s armies were named up to 70 in the past.
Consolidating the army is part of Xi Jinping’s 300,000 military cut which he announced in late 2014. He also reduced the number of military regions from seven to five.
Source: Sina, April 28, 2017
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2017-04-28/doc-ifyetxec6878981.shtml