More than 30 million university and high school students in China have received military training Since 1985, Chi Haotian, State Councilor and concurrently Defense Minister, said Saturday in Tianjin.

During the past 16 years, over 200,000 army officers were sent to schools to give military training, he said, adding that from this year, over 10 million students will receive military training each year.

Chi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, said this at a national conference on military training for students.

The meeting was held in north China's Tianjin Municipality by the Ministry of Education and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s Department of General Staff and the General Department of Politics.

Chi called for a complete understanding of the great importance of having military training for students and said it should be regarded as a major issue beneficial to the state and the army.

(People's Daily November 11, 2001)