During a military parade in early October, Xi Jinping announced a reduction in military force of 300,000 military personnel. People’s Liberation Army Daily recently published a commentary on that reduction.
According to the commentary, “Whether one’s unit is merged with another or one is demoted, whether one gets to stay or is retired, officers and soldiers will inevitably have their own thoughts and may become unstable.” The commentary called for those who will lose their positions to “jump out of the box of self-interest.”
The commentary also stated that, in response to the “noises” made during the reduction in force, particularly the responses from those with ulterior motives, officers and soldiers must maintain their "ideological and political convictions." This requires that the high-level authorities and senior cadres lead by example.
A posting on the People’s Daily blog said that Xi Jinping made a comment in an internal document about the status of the reduction in military force. “Those who express different opinions about the reduction prior to November 24 will be deemed to be making suggestions, while those who do so after that date will be considered obstacles and “must be firmly eradicated.”
Sources:
People’s Liberation Army Daily reprinted by People’s Daily, December 8, 2015 http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/8198/395517/
People’s Daily Blog, December 8, 2015
http://t.people.com.cn/9430141/137179244
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2015/1208/c1011-27898687.html