Soldiers of China's People Liberation Army (PLA) prepare in front of the Tiananmen Gate ahead of a military parade later in the morning at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept 3, 2015. (AFP PHOTO / POOL / JASON LEE)

BEIJING — China will change its military conscription from once a year to twice a year, starting from 2020, according to a statement from a teleconference on the recruitment work on Thursday in Beijing.

Retirement for military personnel, therefore, will also change to twice a year

Recruitment for the first half of the year will start in mid-February to the end of March, and the recruitment for the second half will run from mid-August to the end of September.

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Retirement for military personnel, therefore, will also change to twice a year, according to the statement.

The statement stressed that the total number of recruits will remain stable compared with previous years.

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Conscripts shall serve in active service for two years, according to the country's Military Service Law.

The statement stressed that the total number of recruits will remain stable compared with previous years.

The standards, procedures and relevant policies of the recruitment remain unchanged, and the focus will still be on college students, said the statement.

Interested parties can go on to the official recruitment website to register, apply, consult and make suggestions and reports.

The conscription website runs throughout the whole year starting from Jan 10.