China announces cuts to its military.

[Swampy]

BEIJING — President Xi Jinping of China announced on Thursday that he would reduce the country’s military personnel by 300,000, using a parade marking 70 years since the end of World War II to present the People’s Liberation Army as a force for peace and regional stability.

I think they're doing it for budgetary reasons, which is why I think the cuts are real - China's economy is slowing, and it will get slower, as its work force ages, so, as we've been saying here, it will be less and less able to engage in an active foreign policy.

[Sir John]

No matter, cuts in manpower are nothing much, China remains unbeatable in a land war in Asia, and any attempt to try would be military suicide.

Get back to me when they start reducing the Navy and Air Force.

SJ

[Swampy]

China says it's overhauling its military to make it more powerful. I'm wondering if they're doing it to prevent a coup.

[hornet32]

Those F--king Chinese are an ancient wonder that are trying to enter the 21st century with a lot of baggage , socialist , communist , capitalist they don't know what they want to be , the Chinese People for the most part are hard working and intelligent but they've been peons so long that they don't care who is running the Country their lives aren't going to change very much .

[Sir John]

Agree, about a billion of them are still living much the same as they were 100+ years ago.

[Premier]

I read a comment recently about China and Australia carrying out military exercises together regularly, as with the US, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore.

And Indonesia too, they have been sending their elite soldiers for training in Australia for a long time.

[Premier]

When Australia assisted East Timor to gain independence from Indonesia I recall the television news coverage of elite Indonesian Army soldiers departing from the capital and a senior Indonesian officer was asked if the soldiers were angry. He replied with a broad smile that the Australians are our friends;

www.news.com.au/world/asia/australian-taxpayers-are-paying-millions-for-indonesian-military-officers-to-study-down-under/news-story/6ee9fed843ba977ae0eb342c8791a300