China has for many times taken the initiative to adopt unilateral disarmament, says a white paper titled China's Endeavors for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

"China has unswervingly pursued a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," says the white paper, issued by the Information Office of the State Council on Thursday.

Under the premise of ensuring national security interests, China has always kept the quantity and size of its armed forces at the minimum level necessary for maintaining national security and has for many times taken the initiative to adopt unilateral disarmament.

According to the white paper, China made the decision to downsize its military personnel by one million in 1985. By 1987, the size of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had been reduced from 4.238 million to 3.235 million and further reductions followed thereafter. By 1990, the number of armed forces had been cut down to 3.199 million, downsized by a total of 1.039 million.

Since 1990, China's armed forces have undergone a series of adjustments and their size has continued to shrink, says the white paper. China decided in 1997 to once again downsize its military by 500,000 within three years, reducing its military size to the level of 2.5 million.

In 2003, China decided to further cut down the number by 200,000 within two years and to reduce its military size to the level of 2.3 million.

The wide scope and magnitude of China's unilateral disarmament in such a relatively short period of time are rarely seen in the history of international arms control and disarmament, says the white paper, "This has fully demonstrated the firm belief of the Chinese Government and people on the arms control and disarmament cause as well as their sincere aspiration for peace and development."

Source: Xinhua