China announces military reforms to modernize army

Asia-Pacific, News January 2, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

China has announced its new military reform plan that includes establishment of three military institutions, CCTV News reported. The announcement comes nearly two months after Chinese President Xi Jinping said that his country was continuing the most important overhaul of its military structure in decades.

The Central Military Commission (CMC) has released a guideline on deepening national defense and military reform, about a month after CMC Chairman Xi Jinping called on a military administration and command system overhaul at a key meeting.

According to the guideline, a new structure will be established in which the CMC takes charge of the overall administration of the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese People’s Armed Police and the militia and reserve forces, battle zone commands focus on combat preparedness, and various military services pursue development.

The overall goal is to achieve progress and concrete results before 2020 in military administration and joint operational command, optimizing military structure, enhancing policy systems and civilian-military integration, and building a modern military with Chinese characteristics that can win information age wars.

“The establishment of the army leadership institution, the rocket troops, and the strategic support troops is important…to realize China’s dream of strengthening the military after considering the current situation,” Xi said, according to CCTV News. “It is also a strategic measure to build modern military power system with Chinese characteristics. This will definitely be a crucial milestone in modernizing China’s military and be enshrined in people’s military history,” he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping conferred military flags on the general command for the Army of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force at their inauguration ceremony held Thursday in Beijing.

Xi said the move to form the PLA Army general command, the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force is a major decision by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the CMC to realize the Chinese dream of a strong military, and a strategic step to establish a modern military system with Chinese characteristics.

It will be a milestone in the modernization of the Chinese military and will be recorded in the history of the people’s armed forces, according to Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CMC.