Military joins drive for vehicle efficiency

The Chinese military issued a series of written instructions on Monday calling for increased efficiency in its operations and vowing to give priority to domestic brands when purchasing military and official vehicles.

The move follows a central government regulation on Nov 25 standardizing the management of government funds and banning extravagance on the part of Party and government bodies.

The new military measures were published by the Headquarters of the General Staff, the General Political Department, the General Logistics Department and the General Armament Department, after approval by President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission.

The military is now required to buy its vehicles through a centralized purchasing system and choose Chinese brands that are made in the country.

Yang Weidong, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said it is surprising that the military, which is usually thought to operate independently of the other State organs, has been able to issue such orders on efficiency so quickly after the central government's own regulations.

"It sends a significant signal. It will help deepen the public's understanding of the military and strengthen the public's supervision of the military," Yang said.

The requirement to use Chinese vehicles will also help promote the development of Chinese companies, he said.

"The use of national budget funds to buy Chinese brands will encourage more ordinary civilians and even the rich to buy domestic-made vehicles," Yang said, adding that he hopes more government bodies will adopt similar policies.

The military is also to halt spending on commemorative activities and celebrations, apart from those arranged by the central government, the Central Military Commission and the military headquarters, according to the measures.

Public receptions for military purposes are to be restricted to military-owned hostels and appointed hotels and restaurants, as determined by a bidding process.

The measures state that the military should not rent out office space, and that no offices should be offered to civilian cadres who also hold leading posts in the military. Efforts are also to be made to restrict the scale of military conferences, with greater emphasis being given to virtual conferences via telephone and video networking systems.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn