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The PLA's reserve force is a force with its present organizational structure with the reserve personnel as the base and active personnel as the backbone. The reserve force, which is incorporated into the PLA's order of battle, receives military training in peacetime according to relevant regulations, and helps maintain social order, if necessary, in accordance with the law. In wartime, it may be called into active service in pursuance of a State mobilization order. [17]

The following part of this paper is drawn mainly from People's Republic of China Reserve Officer Law [18] , President of People's Republic of China General Order Number 48. [19] It states that PLA reservists are recruited from retired PLA personal who received honorable discharges, in good health and have good service records. The access of PLA reserve force soldiers received honorable discharge or from retired PLA active duty. Those retirees will provide skilled, experience officers to reserve units. On the other hand, it means that many of the reservists will be well along in age, and as such will be detrimental to the vitality and stamina of the unit as a whole. According to some report, most of the PLA reserve units were created from decommissioned PLA active duty unit with this command staff intact.

Honorable discharged PLA personal and retiree from regular service but above the maximum permitted age for service can apply to become reservists at their home provincial, regional, or municipalities People's Armed Force Department offices (Renmin Wuzhuang Bu) (PAFD). Non-PLA military academy graduates or citizens of poor standing are not qualified to be a PLA reservist, with the exception of a few selective technical positions. Those selected technical personnel, which did not have previous military experience, are required to undergo the properly military training before joining the unit.

While serving as in a PLA reserve unit, officers and the enlisted soldiers are required to continue their training and education as required by their positions. Reservists are required to inform their work unit and family about their role within the PLA. While a Reservist goes off to official duty for the PLA, their work unit cannot reduce the reservist's salary or benefits. During training, all transportation, food and living arrangement are provide by the CMC's General Political Department (GPD) and General Logistic Department (GLD). Reservists are required to be in uniform during training, national holidays or other official functions. If a reservist suffered injury or die in the line of duty, compensation guidelines of the regular force are applied to the case. During peacetime, a reservist who refuses to attend training, refuses to obey orders, breaks laws, or is absent without leave (AWOL) is prosecuted by the provincial, regional, or municipal PAFD court. During wartime, they would be subject to court marshal.

If a reservist, either officer or enlisted, plans to move to another area, he must apply for approval at their new PAFD within 30 days after moving, or they will be consider AWOL. Reservist can request to be discharge when moved to another area. Reservists are required to apply and receive approvals before they can leave their posts. They can keep their rank when they retire. They will use the term "retired" in front of their formal rank. Reservists are expect to retire when they reach their service age limit. Afterward, they can join the People's Militia if they wished. The service age limits are: 55 for division positions, 55 for regiment positions, 50 for battalion positions, 45 for company positions and 40 for platoon positions.

Full time officers who are assigned to a reserve unit or who is filling-in for regular force positions are considered Category I reservists. Others are all considered to be Category II reservists. It appears that PLA reserve officers can serve in active duty units when there is a requirement. This is comparable to a US Army Reserve (USAR) commissioned officers serving on active duty. Most US officers are in this category. Non-Regular Army (RA) US officers are less likely to make general officer and are also less likely to make full colonel, compared to their Regular Army counterparts. It is doubtful that PLA reserve officers are as equally likely to make senior rank as their regular force counterparts. [20]

According to PLA Daily, Category I full time reservist officers generally serve as military unit commanders of company or higher-level units in the national defense reserve. They also enjoy government housing and have the same benefits as other regular army officers. [21] Most political commissars, even at the highest level of a reserve division, are staffed with category II ("part time" reservists). [22] Technical specialists can be either Category I or Category II reservist. A reserve division can have over 1000 Category II technical specialists responsible for equipment maintenance. [23] At regimental level there is a part time (Category II) officer who manages the affairs of the technical specialists.

There is a technical specialist pool for those who are not assigned to any specific unit, from which reserve units can draw from. [24]

The position of a Category I reserve officer is comparable to a USAR officer on extended active duty, or one in a position referred to as Active-Guard and Reserve (AGR). The former is an indefinite appointment, limited only by the requirements of the service and the performance of the officer. [25] The latter is a term-limited, usually 3-4 years, after which an officer or NCO can reapply for AGR status. Category II officers appear to be closer to US officers in "Active-Reserve" status that are assigned to a specific unit, drill regularly, and attend annual training, but that do not normally serve on extended periods of active duty.

PLA reserve forces' insignias are different from that of regular force. The shoulder boards are marked with a "Y" which stands for yubei or "Reserve" in Pinyin.