PLA told to ‘break new ground’

President Xi Jinping urged the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command to focus on missions that need to be achieved by 2027, the centenary of the PLA, and “break new ground” for the command’s development and combat training.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, met with commanders and officers at the command’s headquarters in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, on July 6 during an inspection tour.

He told the theater command to follow the resolutions of the CPC’s 20th National Congress, the Party’s thoughts on strengthening the military, and its military strategies in the new era.

The command must also concentrate on the tasks set by the Party for the armed forces to accomplish by 2027, Xi said.

Accompanied by General Zhang Youxia, a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, during the inspection tour, Xi acknowledged the command’s contributions to safeguarding China’s sovereignty, marine interests and national unification.

The president stressed that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, and that there are rising uncertainties and instability in China’s security situation.

Xi ordered that commanders and troops always bear in mind their missions and tasks, adhere to problem-centered thinking, strengthen awareness of potential risks, and fully meet their responsibilities of enhancing combat readiness.

The command’s officers should improve operational planning, establish a strong interservice command system and conduct more realistic battle training.

Commanders must handle military issues with a political perspective, strengthen the work of Party organizations inside their units, and continue to uphold discipline and fight corruption, Xi said.

The visit was Xi’s first inspection tour of the PLA Eastern Theater Command headquarters.