Xi on Building a Strong Military: A Strong Country Needs a Strong Army

August 1 is the founding day of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It is a fitting moment to revisit the emphasis that Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the country's president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has placed on building a strong people's military. Over the years he has consistently stressed strengthening national defense and the armed forces, in a widely known formulation: a strong country must have a strong military, and only a strong military can keep the country secure.

The direction of a stronger military

On the path to a stronger military, upholding the Party's absolute leadership over the armed forces is placed at the most fundamental level. Around that core principle, strengthening the military through political work, through reform, through science and technology, and through the rule of law has formed the main thread of national defense and military development in recent years.

At the same time, a focus on combat readiness and on honing the ability to fight and win has repeatedly been given prominence. Military modernization is reflected not only in weapons and equipment, but also in the renewal of training, organization and operational thinking.

Toward a world-class force

Building the people's armed forces into a world-class military is the established goal of modernization. Under that blueprint, national defense and military development advance in stages, aiming for an overall leap in capability at key milestones.

In that process, the role of technological innovation is increasingly prominent. From informatization to intelligentization, new technologies are reshaping the form of modern warfare and placing new demands on the training of personnel and on institutions and mechanisms.

A strong military and national security

The ultimate aim of a stronger military is the security and development of the country. The idea that only a strong military can keep the country secure means that a modern people's army must be able both to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to provide steady strategic support for the country's long-term development.

Army Day is a moment both to look back on history and to take bearings for the future. For a military that has traveled a journey of nearly a century, how to build itself stronger under new circumstances remains a question that calls for a continuing answer.