Army hits road with domestic cars

China's army has flung its weight behind President Xi Jinping's call for it to back the nation's auto industry, with the purchase of more than 1,000 domestically manufactured Hongqi (Red Flag) H7 cars.

The move follows instructions issued by the military -approved by Xi and the Central Military Commission - in January that said the armed forces were required to buy domestic auto brands as part of the nationwide drive to cut waste.

Cheng Guhui, chief of the Bureau of Vehicles and Ships at the PLA General Armament Department, said that under the reform measures purchasing domestic models "is a hard-and-fast rule".