In addition to an active-duty military numbering more than 2 million China has a paramilitary force with almost 4 million members.
By comparison, the US military has 1.4 million active-duty members.
The paramilitary serves as an auxiliary force for the People's Liberation Army. During times of peace, it's primarily concerned with law enforcement and internal security.
In times of war, they could triple the size of China's available military force — a potentially crucial source of strength, considering Beijing's ongoing tensions with its neighbors over its borders and various islands in the South China Sea.
They've previously received criticism for oppressing journalists and using violent tactics to quash protests in Tibet.
Reuters published a photo of a Chinese paramilitary member crawling through the sand in 102-degree temperatures. We decided to take a look at the paramilitary police training, and at what China's massive auxiliary force goes through.
This report is originally by Brian Jones.
The text on this wall reads "perfect mastery."
It describes the aim of the Chinese paramilitary police's rigorous training regimen.
They practice deadly choke holds ...
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