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Chinese president stresses Party loyalty and modernization (3) |
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17:37, August 01, 2007 |
Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut in space, said at the grand rally that the PLA would continue to follow the command of the Communist Party of China.
"We will follow the orders of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and Chairman Hu," Yang said.
To celebrate the 80th anniversary, and another sign of the PLA''s modernization drive, the PLA launched the biggest ever uniform change in its history. On August 1, some enlisted men wore their new uniforms for the first time to celebrate Army Day and the PLA will spend three years to change the uniform for all its 2.3 million members.
Dubbed "07 Style", the new ceremonial uniforms for the first time adopt a chest insignia, a mainstay of most western military uniforms, to reveal wearers'' rank and length of service.
Berets have been introduced as standard-issue summer headgear, reminiscent of the NATO look, while Navy rank badges move down from the shoulders to the sleeves in line with international practice.
"Increasing global military exchanges have upped the requirements for PLA uniforms. The new outfits fuse global trends with Chinese characteristics," general Liao Xilong, chief of the PLA General Logistics Department, previously told Xinhua.
An exhibition opened in Beijing from middle July at which declassified PLA materials, such as research papers on atomic weapons and satellites, were put on display.
The exhibition showcases the development of the PLA after the founding of New China.
The exhibits include missiles and models of the country''s first atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb. And a manually-operated mechanical computer, which was used in the research and development of atomic weapons, was put on public view for the first time.
Advanced military weaponry was on display, including new types of ground-to-ground missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, fighter aircraft and new logistic outfits.
Source: Xinhua
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