Seven major units and departments of the Chinese military, including the PLA General Political Department, the PLA General Logistics Department, the PLA General Armament Department, the PLA Navy, the PLA Air Force, the PLA Second Artillery Force and the Chinese People's Armed Police, announced Wednesday they would establish spokesperson system, in a symbolic step toward enhancing transparency.

The PLA is setting up more channels to release information, which increases the outside world's knowledge of the Chinese military, and spurs new contemplation of the Chinese public on confidentiality. We believe such a process will further continue.

There is still room for the PLA to move its transparency forward. The PLA could adopt many other measures to enhance external understanding of it besides appointing spokespeople.

The PLA could employ those prevailing and effective approaches of foreign troops, such as allowing the public to visit and observe some of its exercises, large military equipment and camps stationed in cities.

Military missions and dealing with both internal and external relations in peace time differ from those in times of war.

When a war is imminent, combating is the sole mission and keeping all information secret is overwhelming. In peace time, the military is mainly aimed at maintaining its deterrence credibility. Besides, the military has to make unremitting efforts to gain the public's long-term support for high defense spending. These new tasks require the military to reconsider the relationship between confidentiality and transparency.

China lacks experience in military transparency. Since the PLA is not the strongest military power in the Asia-Pacific region, China indeed has to remain "vague" on some aspects. However, desire for knowing more details about China's national defense construction, from both the international community and Chinese public, is strong.

Therefore, it's necessary for the Chinese military to enhance its military transparency through many endeavors, especially to enrich the public's knowledge of military facilities. The public will feel protected and respected if they know more about the equipment purchased by taxpayers' money. 

Taking a careful analysis, we may find that the security awareness of Chinese society is inconsistent with reality. We are accustomed to keeping everything in secret while those mastering core confidentialities are not familiar with the development of advanced spying and theft technologies. 

A common goal of military confidentiality and transparency is to ensure the effectiveness of China's strategy.

Setting up spokespeople for seven units is a clear signal that the PLA is advancing transparency. These spokespeople are expected to be given more authorities to respond to public concerns. Their appearance will be a milestone in China's military transparency process.