The People's Liberation Army navy has started a micro blog, becoming the first branch of the Chinese military to do so.

Senior Captain Shen Liqing, director of the publicity department at the navy's Beijing headquarters, said the micro blog on people.com.cn, the flagship website of People's Daily, aims to improve the navy's communication and publicity capabilities, improve transparency, provide a platform for exchanges between the service and the public and respond to hot issues concerning the PLA navy.

The blog will publicize important navy events and provide information, publish recruitment notices, and outline the history, achievements and etiquette of the service, Shen said.