article_snippet: Hong Kong (CNN)The search is on for China's teen top guns.
article_snippet: China said Monday China has selected 16 high schools to offer pilot training as China's armed forces seek to attract better qualified recruits.
article_snippet: 16 high schools, in 11 provinces across China, will recruit 1,000 male junior high school students aged between 14 to 16, the China Daily reported.
article_snippet: China's military has traditionally been focused on winning land battles and is now making efforts to improve China's military air and naval power in the pursuit of what President Xi Jinping has called "balanced strength.
article_snippet: "China has made many strides in the development of advanced aircraft, but China must make sure there can be sufficient, well-trained pilots to fly them," Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine told the China Daily last month.
article_snippet: Traditionally, serving in China's military has not been a sought-after career in China and a U.S. report on China's military transformation released last month singled out the quality and professionalism of new recruits as a major challenge.
article_snippet: Many are still drawn from rural areas with limited education, while country's one-child policy, which has created the "little emperor" phenomenon of spoiled children, produces recruits who "may not be tough enough to withstand military discipline," a U.S. report on China's military transformation released last month added.
article_snippet: To this end, China has been making efforts to recruit more high school and college graduates as China modernizes China armed forces.
highlights_snippet: China wants 1,000 male junior high school students for pilot training .
  
highlights_snippet: China seeks to strengthen China navy and air force .