Troop cut a concrete step for peace

In his speech on Thursday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and World War II, President Xi Jinping announced China would cut the number of its troops by 300,000.

The large troop cut in the People's Liberation Army, the 11th of its kind since the founding of New China in 1949, shows the country's sincerity and determination to follow a peaceful development path. The gesture also reflects its positive and responsible attitude toward pushing for international arms control and disarmament.

Since the 1980s, China has voluntarily announced troop cuts several times, reducing its number by 1 million, 500,000 and 200,000. The troop cuts have been massive, for the People's Republic of China had 6.27 million troops in its initial days which today stands at only 2.3 million. And the latest cut will further reduce the number to 2 million. For the benefit of readers, China is the only major power in the world that has been cutting its troop numbers over the past few decades.