BEIJING - China's Defence Ministry launched its first official website Thursday, part of an effort by the normally secretive military to be more transparent.
The launch of the site -- including an English version -- comes as the U.S. Army's top general visits Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterparts. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey was to visit the headquarters of the People's Liberation Army on Thursday and meet PLA Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde.
A notice on the Web site said it is "designed to let the outside world have a better perception of China's national defence policy."
"Help enhance foreign exchanges and co-operation, (and) display before the world the fine image of the PLA as a mighty, civilized and peaceful force," it said.
The site will also help China's drive to modernize its military, it said.
China has long been tightlipped about its military strength and capacity, drawing criticism from other countries wary of the Asian giant's growing power and skyrocketing military spending. Beijing says it is modernizing its military, but for purely defensive purposes.
But in recent years, China has been increasing its international military ties. Earlier this year, Chinese warships were sent to patrol waters off Somalia as part of the international effort against piracy.
Defence Minister Liang Guanglie said earlier this month the army would develop peacefully and increase co-operation with foreign armed forces to fulfil its international obligations.
A Defence Ministry spokesman said last month the military planned to establish more information offices nationwide and hold more news conferences.
The Web site includes sections on China's defence policies and laws and news about military exercises, peacekeeping roles and international military exchanges.
A picture of President Hu Jintao, who is also chairman of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, which controls the military, is prominent on the home page. Pictures and information on weapons and equipment are also displayed.
China's military spending has jumped by double-digit per centages for nearly two decades. This year, Beijing announced a 14.9 per cent rise in military spending to 480.68 billion yuan (US$70.27 billion), though it was a smaller increase than previous years.
That spending puts it on par with Japan, Russia and Britain, but it is still dwarfed by the U.S., which spends nearly 10 times as much.
China's growing military power has also created other image problems, with accusations in numerous countries that Chinese hackers have breached government and military networks.
Officials in the U.S., Britain and Germany have accused Chinese hackers backed by the country's military of intruding into their government and defence computer networks.
Chinese government officials have denied accusations of computer espionage, saying they were meant to feed anxiety over Beijing's growing influence.
Maintaining a Defence Ministry Web site could also open it up as a target from cyber attackers. One large cyber offensive on U.S. and South Korean government agencies last month appeared to target their public Web sites, rather than trying to get at internal files.
