China's Xi reorganizes military headquarters structure
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chinese President Xi Jinping has reorganized the military headquarters' structure in a sign of his firm control over the 2.3 million-member armed forces.
State media reported Monday that Xi has ordered the elimination of the four headquarters responsible for staff, politics, logistics and armaments and their replacement with 15 new agencies under the direct authority of the ruling Communist Party's Central Military Commission.
The move is part of a push to reassert the absolute authority of the commission headed by Xi and modernize the military's organizational structure. Xi is also pressing ahead with the downsizing of the military by 300,000 members to eliminate many non-combat-related functions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}China's military has benefited from near annual double-digit percentage increases in its budget, now the world's second largest after the United States.