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The voice of peace resonates across the world. “Here I announce that China will cut its troop numbers by 300,000,” announced Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), at the 70th anniversary commemorations of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the war against Fascism. The announcement demonstrated China’s wish and sincerity to safeguard peace, to strive for common development and share prosperity along with other countries. It also showed China’s responsible attitude in pushing forward international arms control and military reductions, winning praise from all peace-loving peoples across the world.
The troop cuts demonstrate that China always holds high the banner of peace, development and cooperation, will always follow the path of peaceful development and adopt a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. China will always staunchly safeguard world peace and regional stability.
Both the V-Day military parade and the troop cuts showed China’s desire to remember history, to honor all those who laid down their lives, to cherish peace and build the future. During the war against Japanese aggression, the Chinese people fought on the main battlefield of the war against Fascism in the East, suffering great losses, safeguarding world peace and earning respect. Having experienced such suffering, the Chinese people better understand the value of peace. In our road ahead, China will always follow the path of peaceful development and the Chinese people will always advocate peaceful co-existence. Nothing can shake our belief in peaceful development. The troop cuts announcement on V-Day exemplifies this.
Military cuts are a major measure to safeguard peace. History has taught us that peace is earned and needs protection. Since the 1980s, China has cut its troop numbers three times – by 1 million, half a million and 200,000 respectively – to arrive at the current strength of 2.3 million. As China keeps opening up and reforming, it always defends world peace with concrete efforts. In recent years, China has proposed a security philosophy that is common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable, actively coping with modern security challenges, fully participating in international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, providing more public security services and making important contributions to world peace and common development. China has shown its responsibility. Facts have shown that peaceful development not only benefits the Chinese people, but also the world.
Troop cuts are inevitable under the new circumstances. The essence of an army lies not in its numbers, but in its fighting capacity. Unswervingly building a stronger army with Chinese characteristics is an established policy of military construction. The cuts will focus on troops equipped with outdated weapons, administrative staff and non-combatant personnel. Cutting troop numbers can help optimize the structure of Chinese forces by having fewer troops with improved capabilities and more scientific structures, concentrate resources, boost digital construction and enhance construction quality. Such are the efforts to advance national defense and military reform, to build a modern military system with Chinese characteristics, to build a strong army that can guarantee the realization of the “two 100-year goals” and the Chinese dream of national revival, and to staunchly defend the nation and peace.
For thousands of years, people have longed for peace, but war has always accompanied human development. Reflecting on the tragic consequences of war and preventing a repeat of history, people of all countries cherish and demand peace. Peace and development are the main themes of our time. But we realize the world is still far from peaceful. War still hangs over many like a sword of Damocles. As a big developing country, China still faces many complicated security threats, including intertwined security problems of survival and development, as well as traditional and non-traditional threats. It also faces an arduous task to safeguard national unity and territorial integrity and defend China’s development interests. China needs to maintain its army at a proper scale that is totally defensive in nature. China will never seek hegemony, never engage in military expansion and never follow the old path of world powers that sought hegemony once they grew strong. China will always be a staunch advocate and defender of world peace.
