The People’s Liberation Army of China has declared that it will put the reserve forces under central management. (File)
Beijing:
The Chinese military reserve forces will be officially placed under the centralized and unified command of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Central Military Commission (CMC), both headed by President Xi Jinping, from July 1 to ensure ” absolute leadership “of the ruling party. on it and build a world-class army, according to a report.
Currently, the reserve forces are under the dual leadership of the military and local Communist Party committees and would be placed under the control of the ruling party and the CMC from July 1, reported the official Xinhua news agency.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China announced in 2017 its intention to downsize the reserve forces and place them under the control of central management as part of the army reforms.
The reforms included reducing the size of the army from three Lakh troops, reducing the size of the PLA, the world‘s largest military force, to two million people.
An official announcement on Sunday said that the reserve forces are “an important part of the PLA and that the adjustment of the leadership structure aims to maintain the CCP’s absolute leadership over the army and to build a strong army in the new era”.
It calls on the military and civilian units concerned to take active and coordinated measures to implement the changes in the leadership structure.
Since taking office in 2013, Xi Jinping, 67, has ordered all ranks of the PLA to work strictly under the leadership of the CCP. He is also the general secretary of the CCP.
Chinese observers have called Xi Jinping the most powerful Chinese leader since President Mao Zedong, particularly since he successfully amended the Constitution to end the presidential term of two terms in 2018.
According to the reform process announced in 2017, the CMC will take over the overall administration of the PLA, the Chinese people’s armed police, and the militias and reserve forces. This meant that all forces would work directly under the central leadership led by the president.
The thrust of the reforms included a reduction in land forces and an increased role and scope for the Navy and the Air Force as part of China’s efforts to expand its global influence.
The reserve force structure will adapt to the information warfare from traditional warfare and mechanization, the PLA announced in 2017.
