Book series seeks to unravel the PLA's mysteries

What is the level of development of weapons and equipment that the Chinese army has achieved so far? Is its military strength a threat to the world? What profound changes is the People's Liberation Army undergoing?

The answers to these questions can be found in a series of books titled Chinese Military, which are the first official publications that feature a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the history and modernization process of the Chinese army, its publisher said on Friday.

Published under a cooperation agreement between the information office of the Ministry of National Defense and China Intercontinental Press, the books target readers with a growing interest in the profound changes in China's military, particularly those from overseas, according to Li Xiangping, CIP's chief editor.

The series of 10 books is scheduled to hit the market in three stages. The first batch comprises three books, titled Chinese People's Liberation Army, PLA's Navy, and PLA's Air Force.

The following books - which will be about different military divisions, China's peacekeeping missions overseas and the Chinese army and its international security cooperation missions - are going to be released before 2014, according to the publisher.

The series of books will be published in six languages. In addition to Chinese, there will be versions in English, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic.

The publications are not only in hard copy, but also include e-books, as well as audio and video versions.

The Chinese army is always thinking about ways to present itself in a faithful manner, according to Geng Yansheng, director of the ministry's information office and also the ministry's spokesman, especially as some foreign reports and speculation sometimes misunderstand Chinese military development or distort the facts.

"This book series is only the starting point," Geng said.

As the first official publications about the development of the Chinese military, the authors, comprising top security professionals and specialists from China, managed to make the historical facts easy to understand, according to Lu Xiaoping, a professor at the Air Force Command College, who compiled the book on the Chinese Air Force.

"The series illustrates many different aspects of China's armed forces, combining the army's history with its current development, and we present them in a vivid way, which is interesting to read," Lu said.

Some publishing houses from Egypt, France and Venezuela have shown interest in the books, the publisher said.

qinzhongwei@chinadaily.com.cn