Xi calls for united efforts to deepen military reform

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for all-out efforts to push forward military reform with the support of the entire nation and the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks Monday afternoon at a group study attended by members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The group study focused on reform of the military in size, structure, and formation.

Carried out in a bold and resolute way, national defense and military reform has taken historic steps and achieved historic breakthroughs and achievements in major fields, pumping great power into building a strong army, Xi said.

The reform mainly includes optimizing the country’s military size, structure, and formation, and solving structural contradictions that hinder the development of national defense and the armed forces, he said.

As the reform deepens, China will have a smaller army with better combat capability and optimized structure, the president said.

“Quantity should be reduced and quality improved to build a capable and efficient army, and labor intensity should become S&T-oriented,” Xi said, adding that China is developing a joint operation force system with an elite force at its core.

He reiterated that reform on national defense and armed forces is an overall and revolutionary change, with unprecedented strength, depth and breadth.

“We should be resolute, confident, brave and vigorous to achieve victory in such reform,” he said, calling for close following of decisions made by the CPC Central Committee and the CMC.

Xi said that the reform should take the correct direction, inspections should be strengthened, and various reform measures should be put into practice.

He said that the adjustment and reform of policies and systems will directly influence the vital interests of officers and soldiers, the army’s morale, the military’s vitality as well as the reform’s overall performance.

Military authorities should intensify relevant research, map out systematic and proactive reform plans, and enhance the “sense of gain” among officers and soldiers, Xi said.

Xi also stressed consolidation and spread of theoretical, practical and institutional achievements acquired through the national defense and military reform.