Five corps disbanded in military overhaul – China politics and current affairs news from April 28, 2017
A summary of todayโs top news in Chinese politics and current affairs. Part of the daily The China Projectย news roundup "Itโs the financial system, stupid."
As part of an ongoing revamp of the military, China will reduce the number of corps in the Peopleโs Liberation Army (PLA) from 18 to 13, according toย the South China Morning Post.
At a press conference held in Beijing on April 27, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Yang Yujun ๆจๅฎๅ explained that the cut is an overall reshaping of the armyโs mobile operational unit, a critical step forward in building a strong and modernized army, and shifting the militaryโs focus from quantity and scale to quality and effectiveness.
The downsizing of the PLA was first announced by President Xi in 2015, with the stated motivation of transforming the military force into a leaner fighting force with new capabilities such as cyberwarfare as well as stronger joint operations capability.
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U.S. says โmajor conflictโ with North Korea possible, China warns of escalationย / Reuters
Trump told Reutersย on Thursday that he wanted to solve the conflict with North Korea peacefully, possibly with new economic sanctions, although a military option is not completely off the table. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ็ๆฏ said the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control. -
Trump spurns Taiwan president’s suggestion of another phone callย / Reuters
Trump refused to make another phone call with Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, saying that he didnโt want to cause troubles for China as Beijing appears to be helping to rein in North Korea. -
China reveals foreign addresses of corruption suspects living in Canada, U.S. and beyondย / SCMP
โThe five Canadian addresses are all in British Columbia, four are in the New Zealand city of Auckland and 10 are scattered across the United States.โ - China to begin construction of manned space station in 2019ย / Reuters
- China convicts rights lawyer Li Heping of โsubversion of state powerโย / The Guardian
- Thwarted by Chinaโs courts, โdiehardโ lawyers โfight to the deathโ for justiceย / The Globe and Mail
