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Xi Jinping: No Excuses Allowed for Refusing to Take Demobilized Officers

Leading news portal Sina recently carried a report from Xinhua titled, "Xi Jinping: No Excuses Allowed for Refusing to Take Demobilized Officers." President Xi Jinping underscored the importance of providing demobilized military officers with civilian jobs. This is considered a political task and is closely linked to national defense and military reform. On Tuesday, June 7, Zhao Leji, head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee’s organization department, conveyed Xi’s comments on this issue in a speech he gave at a recent meeting of the Politburo standing committee at the 2016 National Conference on Employment of Demobilized Officers. Xi also noted that a long-term solution for arranging civilian jobs for demobilized officers would be deepened reform. He called for measures to improve the management of the security mechanism for demobilized officers and to perfect the public service system as well as relevant policies, laws and regulations. 

Xi added, "No matter what the excuse, refusing to provide positions for demobilized officers is not allowed." Xi also serves as chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). In March 2016, The Paper, a Shanghai-based online site featuring news and analysis on current affairs, reported that Xi had announced last September, at a parade marking 70 years since the end of World War II, that the People’s Liberation Army would cut its personnel by 300,000. The scale of the PLA will gradually come down to 2 million from 2.3 million, as part of a modernization drive to shift focus from its traditional land forces to more advanced sea and air forces, which require fewer but better training personnel. 

Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, also attended Tuesday’s conference. Liu underscored Xi’s comments. He also called for better services for officers who look for employment on their own. Also attending the conference were Xu Qiliang, CMC Vice Chairman; Zhang Yang, a member of the CMC; and Ma Kai, Vice Premier of the State Council. 
Sources: Sina, June 7, 2016
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/nd/2016-06-07/doc-ifxsvenv43574.shtml
The Paper, March 22, 2016
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1447218