Report: Chinese military relaxes weight standards for new recruits

The world’s largest standing army may get even larger — at least around the waist.

China’s People’s Liberation Army has relaxed its weight standards for incoming recruits, China's Global Times reported Tuesday. Male and female recruits now can tip the scales at 30 percent and 20 percent above their “standard weight,” respectively — both figures went up 5 percentage points from last year.

The reason for the change shouldn’t stun any U.S. service members who’ve tackled recruiting duty — more overweight teenagers, a problem that appears to be crossing national borders.

The Chinese have reportedly relaxed their physical requirements at least four times since 2008, with the last revision coming in 2014. That move included relaxed tattoo restrictions, lowered height requirements, and a bump to the maximum male weight “to allow more portly young men into the military,” China Daily reported at the time.

Three in 10 applicants have qualified under the new program, the Global Times reported, quoting a Beijing-based publication.

The PLA covers all branches of the Chinese military. Its recruitment web page lays out basic requirements for everything from sub duty to the honor guard, including rules regarding tattoos, ear piercings, even permanent makeup (no-go for men, OK for women if it “does not affect the military capacity,” per a Google translation). Rules regarding the calculation of "standard weight," reportedly similar to U.S. service branches' height/weight requirements, aren't listed.

U.S. branches set their own physical standards, with the Army on the verge of introducing a physical fitness test as part of its entrance exam.
While China's entrance rules may be more forgiving, the service’s officer promotion system isn’t: In 2015, the PLA announced plans to include weight measurements among factors determining advancement. It’s part of a goal to slim the force by 2020, Bloomberg reported last year.

Other slimming is in the works, too: The PLA reportedly is in the midst of a 300,000-troop drawdown that would put its standing force around 2 million. That hasn’t stopped a recent boost in sign-up bonuses, per China Daily Africa: Beijing-area recruits can earn about $28,500 if they commit to a two-year tour, up about $1,350 from the previous year.