Military denies expensive vehicle had new plate

Military forces in Beijing denied online allegations that an expensive vehicle with a new military plate was driven on a highway despite the order to ban the military from using luxurious vehicles, which took effect on Wednesday.

The Volkswagen Touareg caught in photos driving on a highway in Beijing is not specified as among the types of cars that are banned from being used by the military, the Beijing Military Area of the People's Liberation Army said in a statement released on the website of PLA Daily, a newspaper owned by the PLA, on Thursday.

The Volkswagen Touareg was among the vehicles bought for senior military officers in the past and will continue to be used to avoid waste, and military forces will not buy any vehicles costing more than 450,000 yuan ($73,000) in the future, the statement said.