The Chinese central government says China will maintain its army size of 2.3 million people.

The army will be restructured more efficiently and more elite officers will be trained. There will also be improvements made to military technology to boost combat efficiency. 

Chen Zhou, a military expert, says in the modern era, safeguarding national peace depends on the quality of the army, not its size.

Since the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the People's Liberation Army has cut its staff nine times, from 6.2 million to the current level.

(CRI.com January 2, 2005)