China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is to hive off many of its logistics services to private contractors in the latest drive for efficiency.

Liao Xilong, head of the PLA general logistics department and member of the Central Military Commission (CMC), on Tuesday announced a 12-point plan for reform according to a decision made by CMC Chairman Hu Jintao.

The plan includes:

-- allowing the PLA to rent commercial vehicles for official activities;

-- allowing service personnel to use civil telecommunications services for personal purposes;

-- employing civilian schools to train technicians;

-- "demilitarizing" cultural institutions, including schools for the children of military personnel;

-- privatizing the management of barracks for troops stationed in large and middle-sized cities;

-- hiring private warehouses for the storage of general-purpose materials;

-- reducing the number of hotels, guest houses and training centers run by the PLA to the minimum.

-- scaling down the number of the PLA's equipment repair units;

-- transforming the PLA's research and development institutions into civil and military dual-purpose organizations.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2007)