Writing in the East Asia Forum (April 22) James Char, Associate Research Fellow with the China Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, cited the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, as stating that economic compensation for demobilised and retired Chinese veterans in 2019 alone was estimated at 139.8 billion RMB (US$21.4 billion), almost 12 per cent of the official military budget that year. He suggested that though troop numbers were recently reduced by 300,000, cost reductions will likely be balanced out by increased expenditure on salaries, food and insurance for those still serving, as well as upgrades to training and sustainment.
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