BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- China announced a new regulation on military academy enrolment Monday to increase transparency and the quality of students.

    The 13-chapter, 54-article document will come into effect on Jan. 1,said a statement issued by the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

    "The regulation aims to make the enrolment procedure more transparent and open under effective supervision," the statement said.

    Previously, there was a temporary regulation on the enrolment work that went into effect in 1995.

    The new regulation included clear definitions on the standards and procedures the academies should follow when admitting students.

    It would also impose more serious punishment on academies and officials who violated the rules. These included, for instance, officials who leaked exam papers and hackers who attacked the enrolment in the computer network.

    The new regulation would help improve the overall quality of students, echoing President Hu Jintao's speech at the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the statement said.

    "We will intensify our efforts to train a new type of high-caliber military personnel in large numbers and change the mode of generating combat capabilities," Hu said in his speech.