CPC 101: Comprehensively Modernizing China’s Military and National Defense

A strong country entails a strong military, and a strong military underpins national security. In December 2012, Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission　of the Communist Party of China, first proposed the "dream of a strong military". In 2013, the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era was defined as “to build a people’s military that obeys the Party’s command, can fight and win wars, and maintains excellent conduct”.

Since the target was set, the CMC has made a series of political efforts aimed at enhancing the military. At the 2014 PLA Political Conference, Xi emphasized that political work is the lifeline of a revolutionary army.In the same year, the CMC explicitly wrote the Chairman Responsibility System into the Working Rules of the Central Military Commission. On the other hand, the reform in national defense and the millitary has been deepened and incorporated into the scheme of comprehensively deepening reform, elevating the effort into the Party’s will and an act of the state.

At the same time, the CPC Central Committee and the CMC focused on boosting war preparedness. Bases on the needs of actual warfare, combat-oriented military training has been strengthened to dramatically enhance China’s joint warfare capabilities.

Through a series of reforms, the people’s army is reorganized for the new era, and more capable of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.