Thursday marks the 97th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), which has walked a glorious path for almost a century under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Entering the new era, the PLA, with its determined efforts, is set to achieve the centenary goal of military building under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.
In the new era, the CPC Central Committee and President Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), from the strategic height of achieving on schedule the centenary goal of developing the people's army into a world-class military and pioneering the modernization of national defense and the military, have made a series of significant new judgments, theoretical summaries, and strategic arrangements. The PLA has undergone a complete overhaul in its system, structure and morale, achieving historic accomplishments in the cause of building a strong army.
In a far sea area, the domestically-produced 10,000-ton guided-missile destroyer Nanchang joined the Liaoning aircraft carrier formation for the first time to carry out long-distance training missions. The military vessel is named after Nanchang City, the provincial capital of east China's Jiangxi, which saw an uprising in 1927 that marked the birth of the first army under the command of the CPC and thus earned Nanchang the title "hero city".
As the mission unfolded, two foreign military vessels sailing in the surrounding waters suddenly turned and attempted to cross the Chinese naval formation. Facing the tense situation, the ship's Party committee led the officers and soldiers to quickly adopt countermeasures, forcing the foreign ships to abandon their attempt. At this critical moment, the officers and soldiers aboard Nanchang demonstrated the courage to take an unequivocal stance, showing the determination to win of the Chinese military.
"The Nanchang warship carries the special designation of 'Nanchang' and is a vessel that inherits the heroic spirit. From the initial stages of its formation, the ship's Party committee prioritized ideological and political development, integrating the admiration and aspiration to be heroes into the daily training and life of the officers and soldiers. The ship's Party committee has led the crew in earnestly studying the Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military and is determined to fulfill the missions and tasks entrusted by the Party and the people," said Chi Jianjun with the guided-missile destroyer Nanchang.
Building the military through political work is the unique advantage and lifeline of China's Party and military. It is also the fundamental key to achieving the CPC's goal of strengthening the military in the new era and fully transforming the PLA into a world-class military.
In June, Xi convened a pivotal political work conference of the armed forces and delivered an important speech in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, which is an old revolutionary base where the Red Army was stationed about 90 years ago after the Long March.
He systematically summarized the historic achievements of political building of the military in the new era, deeply explained the core essence of the political building strategy, and clearly outlined the requirements for political building of the military in this era. He also comprehensively deployed the key tasks for advancing military political work on the new journey, providing direction and fundamental guidelines for the PLA to create a new situation in the political work in the military .
"President Xi's overall deployment for politically building the military is rich with profound political foresight and embodies powerful truth. In the face of new situations and tasks, we must firmly grasp the requirements of this era for politically building the military, work hard to resolve the deep-seated contradictions and issues facing us, and ensure that our military always follows the Party's command, maintains its capability to win, and remains pure and honorable," said Wang Zhonglin with the political work department of the PLA Central Theater Command.
Entering the new era, the CPC Central Committee focuses on promoting high-quality development of the military and accelerating the generation of advanced combat capabilities, thereby speeding up the reform and strengthening of the military.
At a training ground in northern Jiangsu Province in east China, an urban combat exercise by the 71st Group Army deployed various unmanned and intelligent equipment that worked seamlessly with soldiers. The new tactics of "manned + unmanned" greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the combined forces.
At an airbase of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, both red and blue forces were evenly matched in their exchanges of fire. Supported by a joint combat system, the PLA air force continuously deepens air-ground integration and joint operations and training.
From the new year's inaugural training and battlefield drills to war-oriented training and system confrontations, the entire Chinese military is experiencing a surge in enthusiasm for enhancing combat skills and capabilities, unfolding a grand picture of readiness for war.
"We have firmly established a combat-oriented approach, always treating the arena of sea and air patrol as the pre-battlefield for future warfare. We innovate training models by highlighting new concepts and technologies, new tactics and methods, and new weapons and functions. We integrate practical combat-based training, including formation confrontations, air-ground confrontations, sudden penetration and strikes, to continuously enhance the troops' actual combat readiness capabilities," said Yan Xu with the air force of the PLA Eastern Theater Command.
The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed that national defense and military modernization is an integral part of Chinese modernization. It is essential to uphold the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces and fully implement the strategy of strengthening the military through reform.
Entering the new era, the people's armed forces have accelerated its transformation: the command system is streamlined and efficient, the scale and structure are continuously optimized, joint operations and training have opened a new chapter, and policies and systems are becoming more refined. With new systems, new capabilities, new equipment, and new tactics, the Chinese military has undergone a thorough transformation from within, with increased confidence in deterring the enemy.
"President Xi attaches great importance to deepening national defense and military reforms, personally leading, deciding, and promoting these efforts. He has put forward a series of major strategic ideas and made a series of major strategic decisions, providing ideological guidance and fundamental principles for the comprehensive implementation of the strategy to strengthen the military through reforms. Over the past decade of strengthening the military, the historical changes and achievements made are fundamentally due to President Xi's leadership and the scientific guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military," said Meng Xiangqing from Beijing-based National Defense University.
In May, with the successful completion of its first 8-day sea trials, China's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, marked the entry into the "three-carrier era" of the PLA Navy.
In recent years, the PLA Navy's carrier battle groups have arrayed across the oceans, with aviation units roaring through the skies. A maritime force equipped with both nuclear and conventional capabilities, deterrence and combat abilities under informationized conditions, and capable of performing diverse military tasks, stands with a new posture on the surging oceans.
The PLA Air Force's J-20 fighters patrol the skies, the Y-20 tankers spread their wings, drones cruise at high altitudes, special operations aircraft shine in the air, and new surface-to-air missiles point directly at the vast sky. The Air Force's main combat equipment has achieved an overall generational leap and the force is accelerating its transformation into a world-class air force with integrated aerospace and offensive-defensive capabilities.
The PLA combined arms units have been integrated into the joint combat system, with new combat forces such as special operations, airborne assaults, and long-range firepower rapidly developing. Unmanned and intelligent equipment is being successively deployed, and digital and information technology levels are continually improving. Powerful and formidable units are accelerating their capability upgrades, stepping confidently toward modern, mobile, and multi-dimensional army readiness for future battlefields.
China's military striving to achieve centenary goal under strong Party leadership
China's military striving to achieve centenary goal under strong Party leadership
