China's soldiers are getting too big for their britches, or least for their tanks and guns.

That's the message from the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army, which according to the official PLA Daily newspaper recently concluded a physical survey of 20,000 ground troops (in Chinese). Their findings: The average Chinese soldier is two centimeters taller and five centimeters thicker around the waist than 20 years ago.

By comparison, the average male U.S. soldier in a 2007 survey proved to be a couple inches thicker but roughly the same height as his 1988 counterpart.

The Chinese survey didn't give full dimensions for the average soldier. While it's debatable whether extra girth is a good thing for American troops, the added height and heft have to be a welcome sign for the PLA, which has long tried to shake perceptions that it is made up mostly of diminutive, underfed beanpoles. But the beefed up battalions are creating headaches for those in charge of PLA gear, according to the newspaper. Some of China's tanks, designed to fit the soldiers of 30 years ago, are a tight fit for today's troops, the story said. Rifle butts are also now too short, affecting accuracy, it added. Military researchers planned to use 28 different body measurements and other ergonomic data from the five-year survey to redesign the Chinese army's weapons and other gear. For example, the story said, designers will use data on soldiers' finger strength to determine the optimal resistance on a pistol trigger and reduce the likelihood of an errant shot. No word on whether the new measurements came out in time to be incorporated into the country's second aircraft carrier, rumored to be under construction in the northeast. -- Josh Chin. Follow him on Twitter @joshchin Follow @ChinaRealTime on Twitter for the latest updates.

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