President Xi Jinping's announcement Thursday that China will cut its military by 300,000 troops was couched in the language of peace. Yet analysts say that it was intended as a move to modernize and strengthen, not diminish, the country's armed forces.
"War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind," Xi said in a speech at Tiananmen Square commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific. "We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace."
Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at Australian National University, said however that Beijing may have planned the troop cut "in the name of efficiency and cost saving so that the defense budget can be reallocated to 21st century capabilities.