The Chinese military has stepped up the implementation of a strategic project for talented people over the last few years in a bid to produce more educated servicemen, says a white paper issued Monday.

The white paper on China's national defense in 2004 says that in August 2003, the Central Military Committee began to implement its Strategic Project for Talented People, which proposes that in one to two decades, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will possess a contingent of command officers capable of directing informationalized wars and of building informationalized armed forces and a contingent of staff officers proficient in planning armed forces building and military operations.

The project will also produce a contingent of scientists capable of planning and organizing the innovative development of weaponry and equipment and the exploration of key technologies and contingent of technical specialists with thorough knowledge of new-and high-tech weaponry performance, and a contingent of non-commissioned officers with expertise in using weapons and equipment at hand.

According to the white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council, the PLA aims at speeding up the establishment and improvement of a new educational system which focuses on pre-assignment education which is separated from education for academic credentials.

More and more military personnel with specialties for both military and civilian use will be trained by regular institutions of higher learning. So far, more than 90 such institutions have undertaken the task of training PLA cadres.

In implementing the Project for Strengthening the Military with High-Caliber Personnel, nearly 30 key regular institutions of higher learning have trained a great number of Master Degree students for the PLA, whose specialties are urgently needed.

Various training courses have been offered at military educational institutions, including courses for young and middle-aged cadres, high-tech knowledge training courses for leading cadres at the levels of military area command and corps, and training programs of cross-service and cross-arm expertise.

Hundreds of military cadres have been sent to Party schools at various the central and provincial levels, division and brigade commanding officers arranged for study tours abroad, and more commanders chosen to study abroad, says the white paper.

"Only by improving the training of human resources, especially the high-caliber ones can the Chinese military keep up with the worldwide revolution of military affairs," said Wang Xinjun, a military expert who participated in the drafting of the white paper.

"Some Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdoms, regard talented personnel as being more important than weaponry after the Gulf War, the Kosovo War and the Iraq War," he said.

According to him, the Chinese military has cultivated or enrolled more than 30,000 servicemen with doctor and master degrees over the past 15 years.