Reuters scoops China's military plans

As the world waited on Sept 30 for China to show off its growing military might with the first parade in a decade, Reuters clients were given exclusive insight into the next steps Beijing planned to upgrade its forces. According to two sources close to the People’s Liberation Army, the government plans to cut 700,000 soldiers from its personnel-heavy army and use the cash freed up to expand its more high-tech navy and air force. This is likely to alarm regional neighbors and reinforce worries further afield about how far China aims to project its military alongside its growing political and economic might.