PLA builds military 'Taobao'

Soldiers of the Chinese army use computers in this undated file photo. [Photo/PLA Daily]?

The Chinese People's Liberation Army is building a military-version of Taobao, China's largest online shopping website, in an effort to cut costs and improve efficiency in procurement.

The military online shopping mall will come online in the second half of this year, said the PLA Daily, the Chinese army's official newspaper, on Thursday. The general logistics department and its Beijing subordinate units will use the service first before the rest of the army.

The service, which is modeled after commercial shopping websites, is based on the information networks of the PLA.

The service will be open to bidding from potential suppliers to provide diversified items. Officers and soldiers can buy computers, office equipment,?and other daily goods?on the shopping website after it is put into use, said the report.

In addition to the general logistics department, Guangzhou military area command and the PLA air force are also moving towards online procurement.