BEIJING — China has barred its soldiers from using mobile phones and pagers in an effort to keep its military secrets under wraps.
Even soldiers granted exceptions to the new rules will be barred from taking mobile phones into sensitive military facilities, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.
The regulations also forbid soldiers from visiting "unhealthy places," Xinhua said, an apparent reference to brothels.
The regulations were signed by Jiang Zemin, China's president and head of powerful Communist Party and government commissions that oversee China's 2.5-million member People's Liberation Army, the world's largest military.
Soldiers must have permission from an officer of divisional commander rank or above to use a mobile phone, and then only for work, Xinhua said.
Otherwise, "military personnel should not use mobile telephones, pagers and similar communications equipment," Xinhua said.
Those with permission also are barred from taking mobile phones aboard military planes and boats or into war rooms, intelligence facilities, communications complexes, missile firing areas or secret conference rooms, Xinhua said.
The regulations also forbid soldiers from "discussing or transmitting secret information on mobile phones and pagers," the agency reported.