People ' s Liberation Army Ground Force The People ' s Liberation Army Ground Force ( PLAGF ) ( ) is the land - based military service branch of the People ' s Liberation Army and it is the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces . The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 , however it wasn ' t officially established until 1948 . As of 2013 , the PLAGF has a strength of 1 , 600 , 000 personnel making it the largest standing army in the world . In addition , the People ' s Liberation Army Ground Force has an estimated 510 , 000 strong reserve force . History . The PLA ground forces consisted of conventionally armed main and regional units , which in 1987 made up over 70 percent of the PLA . It provided a good conventional defense , but had only limited offensive potential and was poorly equipped for nuclear , biological , or chemical warfare . Main forces included about 35 group armies , comprising 118 infantry division s , 13 armored division s , and 33 artillery and antiaircraft artillery divisions , plus 71 independent regiment s and 21 independent battalion s of mostly support troops . Regional forces consisted of 73 divisions of border defense and garrison troops plus 140 independent regiments . Under the old system , a field army consisted of three partially motorized infantry divisions and two regiments of artillery and anti - aircraft artillery . Each field army division had over 12 , 000 personnel in three infantry regiments , one artillery regiment , one armored regiment , and one anti - aircraft artillery battalion . Organization was flexible , the higher echelons being free to tailor forces for combat around any number of infantry divisions . At least theoretically , each division had its own armor and artillery — actual equipment levels were not revealed and probably varied — and the assets at army level and within the independent units could be apportioned as needed . The new , main - force group armies typically included 46 , 300 soldiers in up to four divisions , believed to include infantry , armor , artillery , air defense , airborne , and air support elements . Although the new group armies were supposed to reflect a move to combined - arms operations , because of a lack of mechanization they continued to consist of infantry supported by armor , artillery , and other units . The 13 armored divisions each had 3 regiments and 240 main battle tank s ( MBT ) but lacked adequate mechanized infantry support . There was little evidence of the use of armored personnel carrier s during the Sino - Vietnamese border conflict in 1979 , and tanks were used as mobile artillery and as support for dismounted infantry . Artillery forces emphasized towed guns , howitzer s , and truck - mounted multiple rocket launcher s . In the 1980s some self - propelled artillery entered service , but the PLA also produced rocket launcher s as a cheaper but not totally effective alternative to self - propelled guns . There was a variety of construction equipment , mobile bridging , trucks , and prime movers . A new multiple rocket launcher for scattering antitank mine s appeared in 1979 , but mine - laying and mine - clearing equipment remained scarce . Regional forces consisted of full - time PLA troops organized as independent divisions for garrison missions . Garrison divisions were static , artillery - heavy units deployed along the coastline and borders in areas of likely attack . Regional forces were armed less heavily than their main - force counterparts , and they were involved in training the militia . They were the PLA units commonly used to restore order during the Cultural Revolution . In 1987 the PLA ground forces , which relied upon obsolescent but serviceable equipment , were most anxious to improve defenses against armored vehicles and aircraft . Most equipment was produced from Soviet designs of the 1950s , but weapons were being incrementally upgraded , some with Western technology . One example of upgraded , Soviet - design equipment was the Type 69 MBT , an improved version of the Type 59 MBT , itself based on the Soviet T - 54 . The Type 69 had improved armor , a gun stabilizer , a fire control system including a laser rangefinder , infrared searchlights , and a 105 mm smooth - bore gun . In 1987 the existence of a new , Type 80 MBT was revealed in the Western press . The tank had a new chassis , a 105 mm gun , and a fire control system . Production of the Type 80 had not yet begun . The PLA was believed to have atomic demolition munition s , and there were unconfirmed reports that it also had tactical nuclear weapon s . In any case , nuclear bombs and missiles in the Chinese inventory could be used in a theater role . The PLA had a scarcity of antitank guided missile s , tactical surface - to - air missile s , and electronics to improve communications , fire control , and sensors . China began production of the Soviet Sagger antitank missile in 1979 but lacked a more powerful , longer range , semiautomatic antitank guided missile . The PLA required a mobile surface - to - air missile and an infantry shoulder - fired missile for use against helicopters and certain other aircraft . While the size of the PLA Ground Force has being reduced over the past few decades , technology - intensive elements such as special operations forces ( SOF ) , army aviation ( helicopters ) , surface - to - air missile s ( SAMs ) , and electronic warfare units have all been rapidly expanded . The latest operational doctrine of the PLA ground forces highlights the importance of information technology , electronic and information warfare , and long - range precision strike s in future warfare . The older generation telephone / radio - based command , control , and communications ( C3 ) systems are being replaced by an integrated battlefield information networks featuring local / wide - area networks ( LAN / WAN ) , satellite communications , unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV ) - based surveillance and reconnaissance systems , and mobile command and control centers . Organization , Formations and Units . There are 18 corps sized Group Armies , divided among seven military regions — Shenyang , Beijing , Lanzhou , Jinan , Nanjing , Guangzhou , and Chengdu . Within the military regions , divisions are being downsized into brigades （ 旅 ） . The International Institute for Strategic Studies ( IISS ) currently attributes the PLA Ground Force with nine active tank divisions consisting of a number of armored brigades . Dennis Blasko wrote in 2000 that the traditional structure of PLA divisions consisted roughly of three regiments – " tuan " 团 – of the main arm , each of three battalions ( 营 ） plus support units , a fourth regiment of infantry ( in an armored division ) or armor ( in an infantry division ) , an artillery regiment , an anti - aircraft regiment or battalion , and signals , engineer , reconnaissance , and chemical defense battalions or companies , plus combat service support units . A typical PLA armored brigade has 4 tank battalions ( 124 main battle tanks ) – each tank battalion has 3 tank companies ( 30 + 1 tank for the battalion commander ) , 1 mechanized infantry battalion ( 40 armored personnel carriers ) , 1 artillery battalion ( 18 self - propelled howitzers ) – 3 batteries of 6 guns each and 1 anti - aircraft battalion There are 8 active artillery divisions consisting of a number of artillery brigades . A typical PLA artillery brigade has 4 artillery battalions each with 18 guns in 3 batteries and 1 self - propelled anti - tank gun battalion ( 18 vehicles ) . Brigades are a relatively new formation for the PLA . Introduced in the 1990s , the PLA plans to expand their number and rid itself of the massive , rigid formations of the Soviet model . As a step towards modernizing its army , this new system allows for smaller , cross - service arm battle groups of battalion size within a brigade to operate independently , increasing the PLA ' s ability to respond to a rapidly changing battle situation . The PLA has yet to fully take advantage of this new formation , but has been taking steps to successfully integrate it in its force structure . Special operations forces . The PLA first became interested in modern special warfare in the mid - 1980s when it was shifting from the " people ' s war " to " fighting a local war under hi - tech conditions . " The PLA planners believed that the next war would be a short , fast - pace conflict on the periphery rather than a total war on Chinese territories , and conventional infantry - orientated ground forces in their mass numbers could no longer meet the requirements . It specialises in rapid reaction combat in a limited regional war under high - tech conditions , commando operations , counter - terrorism , and intelligence gathering . Although the size of the Special Operations Forces is classified , it is estimated to number 7 , 000 ~ 14 , 000 troops . Equipment . With China as an emerging power and enjoying economic prosperity the PLAGF continues to undergo significant modernisation and re - structuring to deal with potential threats and enhance its land warfare capabilities . Front line troops such as special forces , marines and paratrooper s are given priority in receiving modern weapon systems and equipment . Other areas of improvement are its battlefield C4ISR capabilities , with the introduction of satellite communications , wireless networks , and digital radios , army commanders are now able to maintain constant communications with their front - line units while on the move . The bulk of the ground forces have been regularly asked to operate under severe electronic countermeasures conditions in exercises . Also a network - centric warfare capability connecting different combat , intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance elements to form an integrated network is being developed . Approximately 40 % of the ground force divisions and brigades are either armoured or mechanized to deal with potential large scale conventional threats . Mechanized infantry are soldiers carried by Infantry Fighting Vehicle s or Armored Personnel Carriers . A mechanized infantry squad consists of nine men ; six armed with QBZ - 95 assault rifles , one machine gunner and crewman , and one RPG gunner . Non - mechanized infantry are soldiers moved by truck . A non - mechanized squad consists of 12 men ; the original nine men plus one extra machine gun crew and RPG . Troops wear green - patterned camouflage uniforms , combat helmet s , and flak jacket s ( ballistic vest s with ceramic plate s are only issued in rare cases ) . The dismounted squad has two walkie - talkie radios , while the vehicle has a longer range radio and intercom system . The standard sidearm of PLA ground forces is the QSZ - 92 , with soldiers and special forces having it chambered in 9×19mm , and commanders and officers in 5 . 8×21mm DAP92 . The QCW - 05 is a 5 . 8 mm submachine gun used by special forces and non - combat personnel such as vehicle crews and aircrews . Sharpshooting is provided by the QBU - 88 marksman rifle . The QJY - 88 is a general - purpose machine gun used in squads by a two - man crew . At platoon and company levels , the heavier Type 67 machine gun is used . Also at those levels are the QLZ - 87 35 mm automatic grenade launcher and its updated QLZ - 04 variant , and the QLT - 89 and QLT - 89A 50 mm handheld grenade launcher . At company and battalion levels , weapons include the QJZ - 89 12 . 7 mm heavy machine gun and the PF - 98 anti - tank rocket launcher . The PP - 87 82mm mortar is fielded at the battalion level . The cost to equip a single Chinese soldier is about 9 , 400 yuan ( US $ 1 , 523 ) , far less than Western soldiers , due to the lesser amounts of issued kit . Roughly half is the cost of the QBZ - 95 rifle alone ( 4 , 300 yuan ) , with the second costliest being the helmet at 1 , 580 yuan . Unlike Western soldiers who are given body armor , knee and elbow pads , goggles , and gas masks , most Chinese soldiers are not issued body armor higher than company levels . Only two radio sets are issued to each company for the commanding officer and political instructor , with only a few soldiers in each squad carrying compasses , and fewer still having night - vision equipment . The infantry equipment that is not issued otherwise , however , has been seen in standard kit when they are deployed into high risk areas , as observed for units participating in UN Peacekeeping and counter - piracy operations . Cui Xianwei has said that the PLA feels that providing protective gear to soldiers would sap their fighting spirit . Equipment Summary . The PLAGF maintains an impressive inventory of military vehicles . All figures below are provided by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies . Relationship with other Organizations . The People ' s Liberation Army Ground Force maintains close relationships with several paramilitary organizations within China . Primarily the People ' s Armed Police and the People ' s Liberation Army Milita ( PLA Milita ) . Both of these paramilitary organisations act as a reserve force for the PLAGF during a time of national emergency such as war or natural disaster . The People ' s Armed Police consists of approximately 1 , 500 , 000 personnel , of which approximately 700 , 000 are employed in combat roles organised into 14 divisions . Their primary mission during peace time is internal security and counter terrorism . The People ' s Liberation Army Milita is a mass force engaged in daily production under the leadership of the Communist Party of China ( CCP ) , and forms part of the Chinese armed forces . Under the command of the military organs , it undertakes such jobs as war preparation services , security and defense operation tasks and assistance in maintaining social order and public security . The PLA Milita numbers some 3 , 000 , 000 service men and women .