People ' s Liberation Army Marine Corps The People ' s Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps ( PLAMC ) ( Simplified Chinese : 中国人民解放军海军陆战队 ; Traditional Chinese : 中國人民解放軍海軍陸戰隊 ; pinyin : Zhōngguó Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Hǎijūnlùzhànduì ) is marine corps of the People ' s Republic of China ' s People ' s Liberation Army Navy . It currently consists of two 6000 - man brigade s . History . Though the Marine Corps was originally established in the 1950s during the Chinese Civil War by Communist troops to conduct amphibious operations against islands held by the Nationalists , the organization was disbanded in October 1957 when the People ' s Liberation Army Navy ( PLAN ) abandoned any plans to attack Taiwan . Following the disbanding of the Marine Corps , the PLAN did maintain a naval infantry force , which consisted of several infantry and amphibious tank regiment s . In 1979 the Central Military Commission of the People ' s Republic of China re - established the Marine Corps and organized it under the PLAN . On 5 May 1980 , the 1st Marine Brigade was activated on Hainan . Organization . The Marine Corps is subordinate to PLAN Headquarters , the People ' s Liberation Army General Staff Department , and the chairman of the Central Military Commission . The two 6000 - man brigades are both based in the South China Sea . It is believed in time of war , up to 28 , 000 Marines can be mobilized . These two brigades possess combined arms units , including armor , artillery , missile , air defense , and logistics . Marine Corps : 1st Marine Brigade ; 2d or 164th ( Marine ) Brigade – both Zhanjiang ( SSF ) ; 12 , 000 personnel . Each Brigade comprises the following : PLAN marines can perform a variety of missions . They are considered elite troops , and are part of the rapid mobilization forces of the Chinese military . All marines are believed to receive the best training , which includes parachuting and amphibious warfare exercises . The marines perform two principal missions : serving as the fighting spearhead of any amphibious operation , to establish a beachhead of launch direct assaults against enemy targets inland via amphibious landing , and acting as a garrison or assault group in island chains , in particular potentially disputed territories in regional waters . Equipment . Personnel Equipment Armour Artillery The modern day Chinese marine possesses the Type 95 bullpup assault rifle as standard infantry armament . The marine wears a blue / littoral camouflage uniform as standard dress . The effectiveness of this camouflage is unknown , and is thought to be ineffective once the marines penetrate deeper into urban and forested terrain . The marines also make use of GPS and night vision systems to enhance their fighting capabilities . The PLA Marines are equipped with amphibious light tanks and armoured personnel carriers . The Type 63A is the newest light tank in Chinese service . It is based on the hull of the older Type 63 ( which in turn is based on the Soviet PT76 amphibious light tank ) . The Type 63A features a number of improvements , in particular the new welded turret which features much greater armour protection and the 105mm main gun ( capable of firing standard NATO projectiles as well as the gun launched anti - tank missile ) . The marines are believed to have continued operating the Type 63 and the non - amphibious Type 62 light tanks as secondary units . The Type 77 amphibious APC was the standard armoured transport for the marines for many decades . However , new designs have been adapted from the army to complement these aging transports . These include specially modified versions of the Type 89 and Type 63 APCs , with enhanced swimming capabilities . The Type 86 ( or WZ501 ) IFV is also in service with the marines . Based on the Soviet BMP - 1 , it is armed with a single 73mm main gun and mounts an HJ73 ATGM ( with max range of 3000 meters ) . For air defense , the marines employ a mix of automatic and manually operated anti - aircraft artillery systems , as well as short range surface - to - air missiles . The marines have been seen operating the new Type 95 self - propelled air defense platform on an amphibious hull similar to the Type 77 APC . This platform is armed with four 25mm cannon with a short ranged SAM combination to achieve effective killing capabilities against low flying targets at short ranges . The Type 89 self - propelled 122mm gun is the first SP artillery system in service with the marines since 1999 . This adds additional accurate firepower to the PLAMC . Future . Equipment . In terms of equipment , the marines are receiving more modern armoured fighting vehicles . The latest example has been apparently a new light tank . This tank features the same turret as the Type 63A , but is on a lighter chassis that may perform better on water than the original Type 63A hull . Only photos have appeared of this vehicle so far with no firm details . A second new vehicle is a new armoured recovery vehicle , which features a brand new hull . The exact status of both vehicles is still generally unknown . Deployment Capabilities . The marines in the next few years are expected to have greater deployment capability with the introduction of several new ships in the navy . The primary new ship in question is the Type 071 Landing Ship Dock , which could operate both high speed hovercraft to transport troops and vehicles , as well as helicopters . It has also been reported lately that China may sign an agreement in the near future to finalize the purchase of the Russian ' Zubr ' - type air cushion assault transport , which could transport sizeable numbers of troops and equipment at speeds exceeding 50 knots . With the PLAN ' s accelerating efforts to expand its capabilities beyond territorial waters , it would be likely for the PLAMC to play a greater role in terms of being an offshore expeditionary force similar to the U . S and Royal Marines .