Graphics: China to enhance modern defense systems

China will intensify efforts to build modern defense systems to uphold national security and development, according to a study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee ahead of the country's Army Day on August 1. 

The country is called upon to boost infrastructure connectivity and joint development to forge border, coastal and air defense systems, integrate science and technology into national defense efforts, and enhance friendly and practical cooperation with neighboring countries to foster a conducive environment for its defense development.

August 1 marks the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). With the latest reforms, the PLA has embraced a new system of services and arms under the leadership and command of the Central Military Commission.

There are four services, namely the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Rocket Force, and four arms, including the Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force, the Information Support Force and the Joint Logistics Support Force.

The PLA now has five theater commands: the Northern Theater Command, the Western Theater Command, the Central Theater Command, the Eastern Theater Command, and the Southern Theater Command.

The PLA has become more streamlined, with the total strength cut to around 2 million personnel. Following a downsizing of one million soldiers in the 1980s, its overall size was reduced by another half a million personnel between 1997 and 2000, and from 2003 to 2005, the army was further reduced by 200,000 troops.

Alongside the modernization drive, the profile of recruits has also changed, with about 57 percent of active PLA personnel having received a college degree or above.

A country's defense expenditure is determined by various factors, including the demands of national defense, the size of its economy and its defense policy. China's defense budget has accounted for around 1.2-1.3 percent of its GDP over the past decade.

The country pursues a national defense policy that is purely defensive in nature.

Government spokespeople and official documents have stressed on multiple occasions that China will never seek hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence.