Ministry of Defense spokesman Geng Yansheng said at a press briefing Thursday that new license plates for military vehicles will be issued starting from May 1 in an effort to stop non-military vehicles and luxury vehicles from using military license plates.

During the Spring Festival period, many luxury vehicles with military license plates were spotted parked outside restaurants and entertainment venues, causing public outrage. Geng vowed related departments would tighten supervision of the issuing of military license plates and crack down on those who abuse the system.