An increasing number of young Chinese people are failing the required fitness tests to enter the military because they are “too fat and masturbate too much,” the country’s state media service has claimed.

A report published in the state-run military newspaper People’s Liberation Army (PLA) argues that many young people are failing the tests due to a poor diet of fast food and fizzy drinks, as well as excessive masturbation.

According to a report, the standard of health “is related to sitting too long on computer games, excessive masturbation, and too little physical activity.”

It also claims that, as a result of too much sitting down, young men are developing abnormally large testicular veins and a consequent fall in fitness.

In one city, 57 per cent of potential recruits were rejected after failing fitness tests, with one in five simply deemed “too fat.”

However, the newspaper claimed that the US military also had a much higher rejection rate of 80 per cent in a bid to reassure their readership.

“China’s recruitment process has strict rules and procedures. The quality of our recruits is guaranteed, and the headwaters of our military will flow long and strong,” the Chinese Defence Ministry told the paper.

The People’s Liberation Army Daily has previously warned that there is growing concern amongst military officers about young recruits who were becoming get addicted to the online battle game King of Glory, arguing that they would struggle to remain focused during an actual war.

“There is certainly a security risk that can’t be overlooked,” the paper declared.“Once a soldier is cut off from the game for an urgent mission, he could be absent-minded during the operation if his mind remains on the game.”

Since assuming office in 2012, President Xi Jinping has promoted the need to expand the Chinese military, while leading efforts to centralize the Communist Party’s control over it. As a result, China’s military budget had seen double-digit increases for several years until last year, when it was raised 7.6 percent.

However, the newspaper also reported earlier this month that military will reduce its army to under one million troops in an effort replace the “the old military structure,” and instead expand the number of troops in the navy, air force, and cyber combat units as infantry strength becomes less important with technological advances.

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