China creating second largest marine corps to secure Belt and Road Interests

China plans to increase the size of its marine corps from about 20,000 to 100,000 personnel to protect the nation’s maritime lifelines and its growing interests overseas.

China is shifting brigades from the army to the Marines and Navy to shift from a land war focus to securing Belt and Road ports and other South China Sea islands and trade routes.

China is reducing the size of the People’s Liberation Army by 300,000, with nearly all of the cuts coming from the land forces.

Some of China’s Marines would be stationed at ports China operates in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and Gwadar in southwest Pakistan.

China has already shifted two brigades of special combat soldiers from the army to the marines. China will increase to six marine brigades with a total of 100,000. China will also boost the Navy by 15% from 235,000 to about 270,000.

China’s new marine corp will match the combined total of the next 4 Asia countries

In 2017, the US Marines Corp had around 186,000 active duty members and 38,500 reserve Marines.

The US marines including reserves has nearly equaled the combined marines corps of the rest of the world’s militaries combined.

China will now increase to nearly half of the US total. China’s new total will match the combined total of the next 4 marines corps in Asia (Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.)

There are 29000 in South Korea’s marine corp.

There are 12000 in Russia’s Naval Infantry.

There are 7760 is the UK Royal Marines.

18 thoughts on “China creating second largest marine corps to secure Belt and Road Interests”

  1. I thought the PLA was basically militarized police. They are used for internal security. Their “Marines” aren’t going to be worth anything if they don’t get practice … so, are they creating expeditionary forces?

  2. Makes sense to reduce Army, as there is nobody crazy enough to want to invade China mainland. As for marines, part of the effort to contest US dominance of sea lanes. By the way, China’s strategy of making loans & building infrastructure for their One Belt initiative is running into problems in Pakistan. People resent debt to pay off Chinese contractors & workers.

  3. I thought the PLA was basically militarized police. They are used for internal security.Their Marines”” aren’t going to be worth anything if they don’t get practice … so”””” are they creating expeditionary forces?”””

  4. Makes sense to reduce Army as there is nobody crazy enough to want to invade China mainland. As for marines part of the effort to contest US dominance of sea lanes.By the way China’s strategy of making loans & building infrastructure for their One Belt initiative is running into problems in Pakistan. People resent debt to pay off Chinese contractors & workers.

  5. Yeah, Chinese soft power sucks. They make us Americans look good. So sad. I think their problem is not having enough diversity. People may poo poo that sort of thing but that sort of thing builds the character of a country.

  6. Yeah Chinese soft power sucks. They make us Americans look good. So sad. I think their problem is not having enough diversity. People may poo poo that sort of thing but that sort of thing builds the character of a country.

  7. The countries involved in the China belt road system should build connections between them to prevent it from becoming a Chine central hub system and rather convert it to a multi hub system.

  8. The countries involved in the China belt road system should build connections between them to prevent it from becoming a Chine central hub system and rather convert it to a multi hub system.

  9. Putting money into Pakistan is like throwing it into a black hole. Pakistan never pays anything back, and is a perpetual deadbeat nation. China seems to be learning about the rest of the world and its hard realities through trial and error. Meanwhile, India is increasing its loans to other Asian countries for defense purchases.

  10. Putting money into Pakistan is like throwing it into a black hole. Pakistan never pays anything back and is a perpetual deadbeat nation. China seems to be learning about the rest of the world and its hard realities through trial and error. Meanwhile India is increasing its loans to other Asian countries for defense purchases.

  11. China, China, China. Is their anything about the China positive news items that you are skeptical about? It is not obvious that you have any such skepticism.

  12. China China China. Is their anything about the China positive news items that you are skeptical about? It is not obvious that you have any such skepticism.

  13. Putting money into Pakistan is like throwing it into a black hole. Pakistan never pays anything back, and is a perpetual deadbeat nation. China seems to be learning about the rest of the world and its hard realities through trial and error. Meanwhile, India is increasing its loans to other Asian countries for defense purchases.

  14. The countries involved in the China belt road system should build connections between them to prevent it from becoming a Chine central hub system and rather convert it to a multi hub system.

  15. Yeah, Chinese soft power sucks. They make us Americans look good. So sad. I think their problem is not having enough diversity. People may poo poo that sort of thing but that sort of thing builds the character of a country.

  16. I thought the PLA was basically militarized police. They are used for internal security.

    Their “Marines” aren’t going to be worth anything if they don’t get practice … so, are they creating expeditionary forces?

  17. Makes sense to reduce Army, as there is nobody crazy enough to want to invade China mainland. As for marines, part of the effort to contest US dominance of sea lanes.

    By the way, China’s strategy of making loans & building infrastructure for their One Belt initiative is running into problems in Pakistan. People resent debt to pay off Chinese contractors & workers.

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