Xi emphasizes Party building in armed forces

President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to comprehensively strengthen the leadership of the Communist Party of China and Party building in the country’s armed forces to ensure a solid political foundation for building a strong military.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a CMC meeting on Party building, which was held from Friday to yesterday in Beijing.

Noting that strengthening the CPC’s leadership and Party building in the military is a requisite for advancing the “great new project” of building a strong country with a strong military, Xi insisted that the military as a whole should comprehensively implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress.

The Party’s thinking on strengthening the military for the new era must be fully implemented, he added.

Also, the absolute Party leadership over the armed forces must be upheld, the full and strict Party governance must be exercised, and the military’s war preparedness and combat capability must be highlighted, Xi said.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee and the CMC have been working on building the military and keeping hold of it from a political perspective, Xi said, citing a conference on the army’s political work convened in 2014 in Gutian Township, southwestern Fujian Province.

Comprehensive and profound changes regarding the Party leadership and Party building in the military have taken place, giving a strong political underpinning for the historic achievements and changes in the cause of building a strong military, the president said.

Xi noted that the CPC leadership and Party building are essential to the construction and development of the military and matter to the success of the cause of building a strong army and the enduring peace and stability of the Party and the country.

He said the primary task is to uphold the absolute CPC leadership over the armed forces.

The political building of the Party should be intensified to ensure that the military as a whole resolutely upholds the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, and resolutely obeys the command of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC.

Efforts should be made to arm the military with the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the Party’s thinking on strengthening the military for the new era, Xi said.

Also, measures should be taken to ensure that all kinds of work are placed under the unified leadership of the Party committees and all important issues are discussed and decided by the Party committees, he stressed, adding that the system for the Party’s leadership over the military should also be improved.

To fulfill the primary duty of war preparedness and combat capability, more efforts are needed in improving the system of Party organizations in the armed forces and strengthening their leadership as well as organizational and executive capacity, according to Xi.

He highlighted the crucial role and responsibility of Party committees of units at or above corps-level in the military’s Party organization system, and called on them to take a clear political stand and a firm political stance, maintain a correct political direction, hold strong political conviction, improve their political capability, and ensure that they stay politically strong.

Stressing the importance of cultivating cadres and talent, Xi called for efforts in training high-caliber cadres who are loyal to the Party, have moral integrity, and demonstrate a keen sense of responsibility, and gathering talent in various areas who are committed to building a strong military and winning combat.

The training of talent in joint operations command, new combat forces, high-tech innovation, and high-level strategic management should be improved, said Xi.

He also urged efforts to improve Party conduct and combat corruption in the armed forces.

“The anti-corruption fight must be carried forward with firmness, and there should be no deviation,” said Xi.