During his first visit to China as the US Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel was given a rare tour of the Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier.

This unprecedented move, which has been hailed by public opinion both home and abroad, is seen as a potent symbol of China being more confident and open in displaying its military strength.

Hagel's visit also reminds us that since the aircraft carrier entered service in September 2012, there are only a handful of non-combat people who had the chance to be on board. Most ordinary people are still not allowed to have close contact with it.

Some other facilities with a military background also forbid ordinary people to visit. We would like to call for the Liaoning to take the lead in setting an open day for the public, allowing ordinary people to get on board, appreciate its grandeur and have face-to-face interactions with the crew members.

Not only the aircraft carrier, other representative military facilities and combat troops should also follow suit and spare some time for the public, making the open day a new channel to strengthen the ties between the Chinese army and the broad masses.

This open day arrangement has been long carried out by some developed countries, which has proved helpful in obtaining a larger military budget and promoting patriotism.

It seems that the more powerful a country's military strength, the more willing it is to open its military facilities to the public. Besides that, the farther a distance a country keeps from war, the less it cares about military confidentiality.

China is neither. Whether Chinese military strength is called powerful depends on which country it is being compared with. The Chinese military still demands a high level of confidentiality in many fields.

But the Liaoning is different. Not only has the ship been carefully scanned and observed by the satellites of other countries, Hagel's visit has also shown that a brief tour on board will not threaten the ship.

Confidentiality can no longer serve as an excuse to put off setting an open day for the ship.

It's time for China to revamp its outdated mindset on how to safeguard its national security. Satellite and other technologies are making these excessive prudent maneuvers on protection of confidentiality less effective. In many cases, they have nothing to do with the real needs of national security.

The Chinese military must realize it's time they take on another important role of boosting patriotism and social integrity in times of peace. An open day has been proven as the easiest and most effective way to enhance ties between the army and the masses.

Thinking out of the box and reevaluating Chinese military equipment and facilities from a modern perspective will help the Chinese military acquire multiple benefits. It could be imagined that a brief tour of the Liaoning will inspire much more patriotism than many rallying cries.