BEIJING - A strategic planning department was set up on Tuesday by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) as the army is rapidly modernizing itself for more sophisticated operations, the PLA Daily's website reported.

The report said the function of the department, which will be administered by the General Staff Headquarters, include: studying of critical strategic issues; drafting plans and reform proposals for the PLA's development; submitting suggestions on the allocation of the PLA's strategic resources and examining and evaluating the implementation of the plans for the PLA's development.

Luo Yuan, deputy secretary-general of the China Society of Military Science, told China Daily the move is in response to increasingly sophisticated military operation in the future that might involve multiple combat forces and headquarters.

"The new department will become an authoritative and comprehensive planning center," Luo said.

Guo Boxiong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde attended the ceremony that marked the establishment of the department.

The conference came one day after President Hu Jintao met representatives to the Seventh Party congress of the PLA Academy of Military Science.

Hu urged the military academy to closely follow military development trends throughout the world, examine the development of the Chinese army, and pay more attention to the study of strategic issues.

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