Editor's note: Li Yun is a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Military Research of the Department of War Research, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Military Sciences. This is the seventh piece of our "Decoding China" series. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

To build a strong country, China must build a strong army, and the national security depends on a strong army. This is the conclusion drawn by summing up the history of the Chinese nation for more than 180 years since the Opium War.

In the history from the Opium War to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 to the War of Invading China by the Eight-Power Allied Forces (the Siege of the International Legations), because China had weak military power, although soldiers and civilians fought bravely in bloody battles, they ultimately failed.

History and reality have repeatedly proved that the destiny of a country and the rejuvenation of the nation are always closely related to the strength of the army. Therefore, building and consolidating national defense and a strong army has always been the goal of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it is precisely because the CPC attaches great importance to national defense construction that it has withstood various external pressures and safeguarded the country's independence, autonomy, security, and dignity.

History has profoundly shown that the Chinese nation's freedom and the Chinese people's liberation depend on its heroic people's armed forces. Therefore, to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people to achieve a better life, it is necessary to accelerate building the people's army into world-class armed forces.

The most fundamental way to strengthen the army is always to ensure the absolute leadership of the Party over the military. This is the political characteristic and fundamental advantage of the people's armed forces, which is completely different from all the old armies in Chinese history.

In the past 100 years, thousands of revolutionary soldiers have been determined to listen to and follow the Party, and rose up more and more amidst setbacks, and moved forward courageously amidst hardships. In the end, they created a people's army that could not be dragged down, conquered or defeated. Under the Party's leadership, the people's armed forces have been closely linked with the fate of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation.

Whether in the past, present or future, the Party's absolute leadership over the army will always be the foundation and soul of the people's armed forces. The People's Liberation Army will always be the Party's army and the people's army.

Looking to the future, in order to use a powerful army to support the country's strength and maintain national security, it is necessary to establish a sense of crisis and danger.

At present, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and the COVID-19 pandemic has a profound impact on the international strategic landscape. Destabilizing factors and uncertainties in China's security are increasing. Looking back over a century, national defense and army building are the strong backing of national security. Without a strong army and a consolidated national defense, the Chinese dream will be difficult to realize, and there will be no guarantee for peaceful development. To safeguard national security, military means are always the last resort.

The modernization process of national defense and the armed forces must be compatible with the national modernization process. China's military capability must meet the strategic needs of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. To this end, the PLA will continue to comprehensively implement Chinese President Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military, implement the strategic military guideline for a new era, and uphold the party's absolute leadership over the people's army. The people's armed forces will continue to strengthen the military in the Chinese way and comprehensively promote the building of a strong army through the political buildup, reform, science and technology, talent and law. The people's armed forces will accelerate advance the modernization of military theory, organizational structure, military personnel, and weaponry and equipment to become world-class forces in order to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests with stronger capabilities and more reliable means.

To strengthen China's national defense and military in the new era, it is imperative to implement Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military comprehensively, thoroughly deliver on Xi Jinping's thinking on military strategy, continue to enhance the political loyalty of the armed forces, strengthen them through reform and technology, run them in accordance with the law, and focus on the capabilities to fight and win. Efforts will be made to advance the integrated development of mechanization and informationization, speed up the development of intelligent military, create a modernized military force structure with Chinese characteristics, improve and develop socialist military institutions with Chinese features, and constantly enhance the capabilities to fulfill the missions and tasks in the new era.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)