Chinese military being trained to have more open image - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

China's military officers are reportedly undergoing training to learn how to deal with the media, as the military is adopting a more open and transparent image. At a seminar that concluded Saturday at the University of National Defense, China's top military academy, more than 80 senior officers studied techniques for international communication, the media environment, and media skills, Xinhua reports. The training comes as China's military undertakes more international operations in disaster rescue and relief as well as United Nations missions that bring it into greater contact with Chinese and foreign media. "Most Chinese UN peacekeepers have been interviewed by the media," Wu Jieming, a senior official with the University of National Defense said. Since December 26, 2008 , the Chinese navy has escorted 2,832 ships from China and other foreign countries in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia . "The Chinese navy had been reported by more than 1,600 media organizations in the past two years," Wu added. Meanwhile, China has conducted military exchanges and cooperation with more than 150 countries, and since 2002, it has joined 35 bilateral or multilateral military exercises with 26 nations.