China has demobilized approximately 200,000 members of its military over the past three years, according to the People’s Liberation Army daily newspaper. The report also states that China has cut its personnel from 4.24 million to 3.24 million in 1987, and in 1997 downsized the military to 2.5 million to cut costs and focus on hardware improvements and high technologies. The country remains the world’s largest military, with 2.3 million members of the army, navy, and air force, according to Agence France Presse.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.