BEIJING - A senior officer of the General Staff Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said Saturday that the recent online rumors about PLA's disarmament was "not true," according to the Defense Ministry website.

There have been rumors on the Internet recently saying that the PLA would reduce the number of its military personnel by 800,000. "Such rumors are not true," the website quoted the unnamed officer as saying.

The officer said China has always controlled the numbers and size of its armed forces within the limit allowed by the national strength and necessary to maintain state security, according to the website

The current size of the PLA, which numbers 2.3 million, is "appropriate," the officer was quoted as saying.