People’s Liberation Army

Chinese People's Liberation Army
中国人民解放军
Emblem of the People's Liberation Army (top), PLA flag (bottom). The characters are "8 1", referencing August 1.
Motto	为人民服务! ("Serve the People!")
Founded	1 August 1927 (Nanchang Uprising)
Service branches	PLA Ground Force PLA Navy PLA Navy Marine Corps PLA Air Force PLA Rocket Force PLA Strategic Support Force
Headquarters	Central Military Commission, Beijing
Leadership
Leaders of Central Military Commission	Xi Jinping (Chairman) General Fan Changlong (Vice-chairman) Air Force General Xu Qiliang (Vice-chairman)
Minister of National Defense	General Chang Wanquan
Chief of Joint Staff	General Fang Fenghui
Manpower
Conscription	Compulsory by law, but never enforced
Active personnel	2,300,000 active (2017)
Reserve personnel	510,000 reserve (2017)
Expenditures
Budget	US$145.8 billion (2015) (ranked 2nd)
Percent of GDP	1.9% (2017)
Related articles
History	History of the PLA Modernization of the PLA Historical Chinese wars and battles Wars China Involved

PLA Ground Force
PLA Navy

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the armed forces of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the People's Republic of China. The PLA consists of five professional service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and the Strategic Support Force.

The PLA is the world's largest military force, with a strength of approximately 2,285,000 personnel, 0.18% of the country's population. In September 2015, Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and the commander-in-chief of the PLA, announced a reduction of the number of military personnel by 300,000. The PLA's insignia consists of a roundel with a red star bearing the Chinese characters for Eight One, referring to the Nanchang Uprising which began on August 1, 1927.