ABSTRACT
In September 2003, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced plans to demobilize 200,000 troops in over a period of three years. This announcement marked the third major downsizing of the PLA since 1985. Upon completion in 2005, the number of PLA personnel had shrunk by almost 1.7 million within two decades. These numbers are even more striking when one considers the extent to which Chinese society has been undergoing its own transformation, and withstanding a multitude of stresses while absorbing these troops.
