During his visit to the headquarters of the military region of Nanjing, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), called on the Chinese army to focus on meeting the goals of building a strong army, carrying out the spirit of a military political work conference held in Gutian township, and raising the levels of military management in accordance with the law and with strict military discipline.

Xi has conducted a series of campaigns and made several statements on national defense and the army since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. All of his interventions have committed China to deeper military reform. They target the problems of low morale, corruption, and slackness in military preparations. He has urged the military to focus on improving combat effectiveness, strengthening reform, fighting corruption, and strengthening the ideological commitment of both officers and troops, in order to consolidate the CPC's absolute leadership.

The following observations may shed some light on Xi's thoughts on military management.

The key to building a strong army lies in the principle of CPC's absolute leadership of the Chinese army, and the principle should always be firmly upheld.

The Chinese army should consolidate the CPC's absolute leadership in strengthening officers' and soldiers' ideological beliefs, and enhance fighting spirit, combat effectiveness, and working practices.

The army should always be in the hands of reliable people loyal to the CPC.

Hard work can rejuvenate China and the Chinese army.

Military training should be focused on improving our operational warfighting ability and compensating for any shortcomings through combat effectiveness.

Military management in accordance with the law and with strict military discipline lays the foundations for building a strong army.

We should treat the officers and soldiers at the lower ranks with care and give priority to providing manpower, materials and financial support to frontier and frontline forces, officers and enlisted men.

We should celebrate, make full use of, and develop our army's finest traditions.

The CPC's absolute leadership over the army, and good civil-military relations give us the power and strength to overcome any difficulties and triumph in any adversity.

The task of resettling demobilized servicemen is crucial to the stability, reform and development of our society and the building of national defense and the army.

This article was edited and translated from 《十句话看习近平如何“治军布局”》, source: cpcnews.cn