On September 3, at the military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the World War II victory, Xi Jinping announced that China will cut its military by 300,000. At a press conference thereafter, Yang Yujun, spokesperson for the China Ministry of National Defense, provided additional information about the decision. Yang said that the Chinese military consists of about 2.3 million and will be reduced to 2 million. The move will mainly target troops equipped with outdated armaments, administrative staff, and non-combatant personnel. The purpose is to optimize the structure of the Chinese forces. The disarmament will be carries out step by step and will be completed by end of 2017.
Source: Xinhua, September 3, 2015
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2015-09/03/c_1116458395.htm