China resettled 59,000 retired officers last year through joint efforts by the Army and the government, participants said at a national tele-conference on Tuesday.

Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang addressed the conference and called for full awareness of the importance of the resettlement of retired Army officers.

Zhang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, pledged to persist in reform and innovation to find a new way of resettling ex-officers that reflects the realities of the country and the Army.

Li Jinai, a member of the Central Military Commission and head of the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), said the resettlement of retired officers has a bearing on national defense and Army modernization as well as the general situation involving reform and development.

He pledged to step up the education and management of military retirees and further coordinate with local governments to do a better job in this year's resettlement effort.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2008)