China's military to recruit twice a year from 2020

BEIJING -- China will change its military conscription from once a year to twice a year, starting from 2020, according to a statement from a teleconference on the recruitment work on Thursday in Beijing.

Recruitment for the first half of the year will run from mid-February to the end of March, and the recruitment for the second half will run from mid-August to the end of September.

Retirement for military personnel, therefore, will also change to twice a year, according to the statement.

Conscripts shall serve in active service for two years, according to the country's Military Service Law.

The statement stressed that the total number of recruits will remain stable compared with previous years.

The standards, procedures and relevant policies of the recruitment remain unchanged, and the focus will still be on college students, said the statement.

Interested parties can go on to the official recruitment website to register, apply, consult and make suggestions and reports.

The website, www.gfbzb.gov.cn, runs throughout the whole year starting from Jan 10.