China Revises Military Service Regulations 　　Major changes have been made in the regulations on service conditions applying to soldiers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), which involve benefits, military ranks, rewards and penalties. 　　The revisions were agreed in a decree signed by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji on June 30. 　　The revisions aim at the revolutionization, modernization and standardization of the armed forces, according to a decision to revise the regulations. 　　The revisions are also applicable to the Chinese People's Armed Police. 　　The new terms also affect those soldiers who volunteer to continue a career in the army after their conscription period has expired. 　　One of the significant aspects of the revised rules is that professional civilians can now also be directly recruited into the PLA at sergeant level. 　　The revised rules also cover soldiers' health insurance and the payment and salaries for the volunteer soldiers. (Xinhua) HomeNews 1999-07-12 Page3 Full Story in Chinese