President Xi Jinping once again told the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to be totally subservient to the Communist Party of China (CPC), which he heads, while also emphasizing the importance of improving combat readiness through troop training.
Apart from calling on the PLA, the armed forces of the CPC, to improve its political awareness, Xi also told the the PLA's leadership to govern the armed forces according to law to aid in the building of a strong military.
He encouraged Chinese soldiers to carry forward China's martial traditions and move with the times, while using the Party's new theories to arm their ideologies. He told the PLA to improve its combat capability through drills under battle conditions.
Xi talked about the primacy of the CPC while visiting the 65th Army Group stationed in northern China's Hebei Province earlier this week. He extended Spring Festival greetings to the PLA, the People's Armed Police, the militia and reserve forces.
At the command and training center of the army group, Xi ordered better ideological and political work, saying that the influence of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, two corrupt former CMC vice chairmen, should be purged.
He said the PLA must ensure it upholds the authority of the CPC Central Committee at all times and under all circumstances, and firmly follow the command of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC.
Xi is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) that exercises direct control over the PLA and its four armed services.
At the company club house, Xi posed for photos with the soldiers and told them that the grassroots units were the foundation of the military. He urged officers to care about their men and address their concerns.
He also voiced the hope that young servicemen could make personal achievements while in service.