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Tokyo, March 1 (CNA) Beijing will not lob missiles into waters near Taiwan in the run-up to the island's March 18 presidential election, but its military will go on heightened alert to cope with any possible developments, a Japanese paper reported on Wednesday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun daily quoted Beijing sources as saying that mainland China will not repeat its 1996 practice of test-firing missiles at Taiwan's doorstep ahead of the island's upcoming election.

Nevertheless, the unidentified Beijing sources said the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will heighten alert to cope with any possible developments or scenarios that may appear in Taiwan before or after the presidential election.

The Japanese paper said all PLA servicemen stationed in Nanjin and Guangzhou military regions in southeastern China have been on a "third-grade" alert since last autumn. This level of alert will allow PLA members to take on combat mission within 24 hours, the paper said, adding that all PLA officers and troops have been banned from leaving their posts without prior approval and from taking vacation.

The report further said the PLA also seemed to have undergone a massive personnel reshuffle in recent months, with three of its seven military regions changing top commanders. Moreover, the report said, the PLA's East China Fleet also changed its top leader and other senior officers.

The paper said although mainland China's acquisition of a Russian-made advanced missile frigate is not expected to change military balance in the Taiwan Strait, the new warship can carry anti-aircraft carrier missiles. Therefore, the paper said, the new mainland destroyer's passage of the Taiwan strait in mid-February has caused US concern.

According to the paper, the PLA's upgrading of alert, personnel changes and show of its new warships and weaponry systems are all aimed at exerting psychological pressure on Taiwan voters and swaying them from supporting pro-independence candidates. (By Mike Chang and Sofia Wu)