China will cut the number of its troops by 300,000, President Xi Jinping announced ahead of the country's first military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression and World War II on Thursday.

The cuts, to be completed by 2017, will mainly be to those troops equipped with outdated armaments, administrative staff and non-combatant personnel, and are aimed at optimizing the structure of Chinese forces.

The announcement shows China's sincerity and determination to pursue its path of peaceful development, as well as China's responsible attitude in promoting international arms control and disarmament. It also sent a message about China's commitment to promoting world peace and a shared future.

This is China's 11th large-scale disarmament since the founding of New China in 1949, and it will reduce China's number of troops to 2 million.