(CFP)

Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng, the new spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), made his public debut at a press conference in Beijing on July 31.

Geng, 50, began his military service in 1977. He was appointed director of the Information Office of the MND in April 2010 after working for 16 years in the ministry's Foreign Affairs Office. The official resume shows Geng is married, with a son.

Geng's deputy, Colonel Yang Yujun, will also serve as spokesman for the MND. Yang, 40, studied public policy in the University of London. He is married, with a daughter.

The MND launched the spokesperson system in May 2008 in an effort to increase transparency of matters relating to China's armed forces.