Be ready for modern warfare, Xi Jinping tells army
President asks PLA units to conduct more combat exercises.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked the PLA’s newly-formed 84 large military units to prepare themselves for combat and give priority to building “new-type” fighting capabilities in electronic, information and space warfare.
Mr Xi, also the chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the 2.3 million-strong military, spoke to the commanders of the new units here on Tuesday and asked them to improve their joint operation capabilities and technology level.
He said the new units of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) must prepare themselves for combat and study wars. The President told the new forces to conduct more combat exercises and give priority to building “new-type” fighting capabilities, state-run China Daily reported today. In PLA terminology, “new-type” fighting capabilities generally refers to capabilities of engaging in electronic, information and space operations.
Mr Xi’s call for building “new-type” fighting capabilities of the world’s largest military came as Beijing prepares to counter the US deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptor missiles in South Korea, whose powerful radars could see through most of the part of China, including its missile development programme.
As it expanded strategic influence, China is also flexing its military might especially in the neighbourhood over the territorial disputes with India, Japan and countries in the South China Sea. All 84 of the new units are at combined corps level, which means their commanders have or soon will be promoted to a rank of either major general in the Ground Force, Air Force and Rocket Force or rear admiral in the Navy.