Why China Is Handing Soldiers Big Payouts to Retire Quietly
- Some who retire early could keep getting 80 percent of salary
- President seeks to scale down army without causing instability
Chinese honour guards prepare for the arrivial of India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese premier Li Keqiang outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 23, 2013. Manmohan Singh is on a visit to China from October 22 to 24. AFP PHOTO / WANG ZHAO (Photo credit should read WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images)
Photographer: WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is paying soldiers to leave the world’s largest army, and to do so quietly.
Military personnel have been getting generous buyouts to retire early, according to people with knowledge of the matter, a move that shows both the People’s Liberation Army’s importance to the ruling Communist Party and the hurdles facing Xi as he seeks to overhaul it.