Starting in January, China will audit military officers with the rank of lieutenant colonel or higher who are in charge of army finance work, according to a regulation issued Wednesday by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The new rule requires that senior military officers be audited when they have held a post for two years, are up for leaving the post or being evaluated.

The military's auditing department will set up a special team in charge of departments of auditing, personnel, accountants and discipline inspection. The audits will cover annual budgets, final accounts, accounting work, revenue, expenses, assets and debts according to the regulation.

The Chinese PLA Audit Office will audit top officers of all seven military area commands across the country.

In the country's civilian sector, the National Audit Office (NAO) has released more auditing reports on China's government departments and large state-owned enterprises.

In November this year, the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Land and Resources and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) were found to have committed financial malpractice by the NAO.