China to further cut back armed forces by 200,000

China announced 200,000 job cuts in the world's largest military by the end of next year on top of 500,000 in the mid-1990s, but the streamlining is not expected to affect its ability to attack Taiwan.

Former president Jiang Zemin (江澤民), now chairman of the Central Military Commission, announced the cuts during a visit to Changsha, capital of the southern province of Hunan, to "accelerate modernization" of the People's Liberation Army, the Xinhua news agency said.

"The form of war is changing from mechanized warfare to information warfare," said Jiang, who attended celebrations marking the 50th founding anniversary of the National Defense Science and Technology University.

"A further reduction of the size of the military would be conducive to focusing our limited strategic resources and accelerating the pace of our military information building," he said.

Xinhua said the PLA would be reduced by another 200,000 before 2005. China trimmed the three million-strong PLA by 500,000 in the mid-1990s.

Western military analysts said the PLA would still be designed and able to invade Taiwan, or at least be enough of a menace to prevent it declaring independence.

"Everything is focused on Taiwan," said a Western diplomat.

The speedy US-led military victory in Iraq this year reminded China how much room there was to modernize its armed forces.

Western military analysts estimate the current strength of the army at about 1.7 million, the navy 220,000 and the air force 420,000. A fourth branch, the Second Artillery Corps, which is responsible for nuclear missile forces, makes up the rest of the PLA.

A Chinese source said Jiang's visit to Hunan also took him to Mao Zedong's (毛澤東) birthplace of Shaoshan to underscore the fact he is still commander in chief of the armed forces.

"Jiang went to Shaoshan to remind everybody he is still the big boss," said the source with ties to the military and who asked not to be identified.

He retired as Communist Party chief last November in the first orderly leadership succession since 1949 and as state president in March.

Jiang visited Shaoshan in 1990 after becoming party chief a year earlier.

The cuts -- the biggest since 1997 when the Communist Party reduced the PLA by an initial 500,000 -- would mean wage hikes and better benefits for servicemen.

And if history is any guide, few of those axed will become unemployed. Many will be shunted into the 1-million-strong People's Armed Police, which acts as riot police and guards government compounds and foreign embassies.