TAIPEI - TAIWAN is considering cutting its troop strength by as much as a third as relations with China improve, reducing the spectre of war between the two political rivals, sources and media said on Monday.

The Ministry of National Defence is studying a plan to slash the island's 275,000 troops over the next four years, with an exact number yet to be decided, ministry spokesman Lisa Chih said. Local media said troops could be cut to about 180,000.

'Relations with China will definitely factor into our plans,' Ms Chih said.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's Communists won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.

Taiwan's military, which once landed aircraft on freeways and conducted live-fire drills in public to show its strength, has lowered its profile rapidly since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May on pledges to improve relations with China.

'This is another example of demilitarisation by Ma Ying-jeou,' said Mr Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief with Defence News. 'It's another olive branch to China.'

Since Mr Ma took office, once annual live-fire military exercises have also been scaled back to once every two years and the military's annual budget has been cut by 8 per cent.

China, for its part, has hinted at scaling back what Taiwan estimates as 1,300 short-range and mid-range missiles aimed at the island, military sources say. -- REUTERS