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HONG KONG, China -- China's People's Liberation Army will boost its capability to fight hi-tech warfare, especially its ability to handle "emergencies."

A number of senior generals have talked about the PLA's new priorities after it had been granted a 9.6% budget boost by the National People's Congress in Beijing last week.

Army Chief of Staff General Liang Guanglie told PLA delegates to the NPC over the weekend that the army must "put more efforts into raising the quality of military training."

General Liang said PLA units must in particular improve their capability in rapid-response and IT warfare, as well as battles involving synchronized, multi-divisional combat.

Military analysts said it was unusual that a top general had called attention to preparing for "emergencies," which might be a reference to terrorist acts as well as unexpected developments in flashpoints such as the Taiwan Strait.

While addressing NPC delegates on Sunday, Central Military Commission Vice-chairman General Guo Boxiong also called on the troops to "think about dangers at a time of safety and stability -- and to remain on alert."

General Guo, known as a hardliner, said: "The world is not at peace, and the Taiwan situation is relatively complicated."

He stressed that the PLA must raise its combativeness, particularly its ability to win wars under hi-tech conditions.

Meanwhile, the PLA is studying the possibility of another round of demobilization, according to Hong Kong's Chinese-run paper, Wen Wei Po.

The daily quoted officials in Beijing as saying the next round of streamlining, involving up to several hundreds of thousands of soldiers, might be carried out from late this year to 2004.

Wen Wei Po said large numbers of administrative staff, staff working in military academies as well as soldiers in infantry divisions might be made redundant.

The PLA laid off around 500,000 soldiers and staff between 1997 and 1999.

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