Xi Jinping: A strong country must have a strong military

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said on Wednesday that a strong country must have a strong military, as only then can it guarantee the security of the nation.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a gathering marking the CPC's 105th founding anniversary in Beijing.

On the new journey ahead, Xi called for fully implementing the Party's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era as well as the military strategy for the new era, maintaining the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces, and following a Chinese path to military development. 

Xi stressed that comprehensive measures will be taken for enhancing the political loyalty of the armed forces, strengthening them through reform and technology as well as the training of competent personnel, and running them in accordance with the law. 

Xi also said China will promote the high-quality modernization of national defense and armed forces, achieve the centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army on time in 2027, and accelerate elevating the people's armed forces to world-class standards, so as to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and make greater contributions to maintaining world peace and development.