On December 29, 2010, People’s Daily published a December interview of Liang Guanglie, China’s Defense Minister. Li stated in the interview, “Looking at the current world situation, a full-scale war is unlikely, but we cannot exclude the possibility that, in some local areas, unexpected events may occur, or military friction may take place due to a ‘misfire.’” He indicated that, of all the military forces, the navy, air force, and second artillery corps make up a large and growing percentage, while the army is on the decline; that 80% of the officers now have college degrees; and that a modern weaponry system dominated by second generation equipment, with third generation equipment as the backbone has preliminarily been established.
Source: People’s Daily, December 29, 2010
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2010-12/29/content_711023.htm?div=-1