Chinese President calls for building strong Army

Beijing, Oct 27: Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that the country's military should take solid steps toward a strong Army as Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while meeting senior military officers in Beijing Thursday. According to Xinhua, he urged the Army to remain true to its original aspiration and keep its mission firmly in mind. The President asked the Army to learn and implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, following the road of building a strong Army with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernisation of national defence and the Army. "We should strive to fully transform the people's armed forces into a world-class military by the mid-21st century," Xi said. He said that during the past five years, the CMC has endeavored to build an Army that followed the command of the CPC and was capable of winning battles. Xi termed the 19th CPC National Congress a success, saying that by the year 2020, mechanisation will be basically achieved, and the modernisation of the national defence and armed forces should be basically completed by 2035. To study and implement the spirit of the congress is the primary task for the party, the country and the army at present and in the years to come, said Xi. He urged the military officers and soldiers to learn from the report of the congress as well as the Party's Constitution so as to better guide their work. The President asked the members of the CMC, newly chosen at the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, to be keenly aware of the trust bestowed by the Party and people and the expectations of all servicemen and women and spare no effort in their work. UNI