Chinese military leaders are reviewing plans to relocate the headquarters of its five service branches away from Beijing to second and third-tier cities, according to sources who are close to the People’s Liberation Army.
The top brass began considering the relocation plans around 2015 but a decision to proceed was made in the last two years, several military sources said.
The sources said the leadership believed that the move would help to reduce cronyism and nepotism within the PLA and improve combat readiness – a top priority in President Xi Jinping’s reform plans.
“The ground force, navy, air force, rocket force and strategic support force are involved and the relocation plans mainly focus on moving the command units of these five different forces,” one independent source said.
However, the relocation plans will not cover the Central Military Commission, the top policymaking body of the PLA, which will continue to operate from the August 1st Building in western Beijing.
“A small number of the administrative departments [of these five forces] may be allowed to remain in Beijing but most units will move [to new offices],” said the same source, who comes from a PLA family. “It is expected that the relocation may take as long as 10 years to complete.”
One option under consideration is for the naval headquarters to move to a coastal city, according to a retired navy officer who has knowledge of the plans.
Global News 
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