Chinese army creates nifty iOS propaganda app

When it comes to Chinese propaganda, you can already get the "Little Red Book" (Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung) in app form for your iPhone and iPad. Now the People's Liberation Army is getting into the fun with a new official app for iPhones and iPads that lets you stay on top of all the latest things happening in the happy world of the PLA.

The app is a newsreader providing video, pictures, and press releases from official Chinese military outlets. State-run China Daily gushed about the app, saying that "The app was praised by many netizens. They said it is one of the great achievements by the Chinese military in promoting transparency." Retired PLA general and military strategist Peng Guangqian said that "cooperation with Apple is helping the ministry to form a new public image, one that is more open and modernized."

Well, the PLA isn't exactly "cooperating" with Apple. The app can't be found on the App Store, and is only available on jailbroken devices. Couple that with the fact that China is a suspect in many hacking incidents against the American military and defense contractors, and it's not likely that many of the target market users are going to load the app on their iPhones.