China plans to accelerate efforts to modernize the world’s largest army, state media reported Friday, a day after Beijing rejected a Pentagon report describing China as a potential military threat. China has long vowed to upgrade the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberation Army, which lags decades behind the U.S. military in terms of technology and reach. On Thursday the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense issued a 15-year plan approved by President Hu Jintao for developing high-tech industries for both military and civilian purposes, the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily reported. Full Story