PLA Daily Online (English) has benefited during its first year from the strong support of the leaders of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said participants.

The website is a product of the PLA Daily, a newspaper reflecting the views of the Central Military Commission.

PLA Daily Online (English) covers major events about the CPC, the Army and the nation in general, as well as activities of the chairman and other leaders of the Central Military Commission. It also provides commentaries, exclusive interviews, special reports and pictures published in the PLA Daily.

Other pages on the site provide information about such topics as the history and development of China’s armed forces, PLA traditions and customs, military life, sports and culture.

Since its inception, PLA Daily Online (English) has run more than 4 million words of reports, with 81 special reports and columns and six news channels. The form and content of the site have undergone two major revisions to make it more attractive, informative and user-friendly.

The efforts of the team paid off in the site’s first year: the number of visitors soared an amazing 730 percent since the first month of operation. It has won recognition from both netizens and other website operators. Website staff say that PLA Daily Online (English) is now considered a leading website for external publicity about China’s military affairs.

Participants in the discussion on March 5 all agreed that they will work in the year ahead to continue improving PLA Daily Online (English), and make it an even better platform for interactive information sharing.

(PLA Daily Online, March 9, 2004)