Op-Ed: New conditions require stronger Chinese military

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L F), confers the military flag to Li Zuocheng (C F), commander of the Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), and Liu Lei, political commissar of the Army, in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 31, 2015. The general commands of the PLA Army, Rocket Force and Strategic Support Force were founded on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

On the very first day of 2016, China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) released a guideline on deepening national defense and military reform. A day before that, the CMC announced the establishment of the General Command of Army, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force. The PLA is now standing at a new historical crossroads.

As Chinese people enjoy their New Year holiday, few of them think of gunshots or war. Ordinary people can now rest easy thanks to China’s strong defense, which is as precious as air. This requires the continuous development of national defense.

China’s national interests and current international situation are constantly changing, so is the task of the Chinese army. Hence, the PLA and relevant mechanisms have to be adjusted accordingly to keep up with the pace of China’s rise.

The task that confronts China’s armed forces is arduous and more than just safeguarding the nation’s maritime and land territories. As China’s international cooperation grows, more Chinese enterprises go global and the country embraces greater responsibility to maintain regional and world peace, a strong Chinese army is needed.

China must have a strong military. In possession of nuclear weapons, China doesn’t need to worry about military aggression. But there is more about national security. The Chinese army's special mission to safeguard China’s national path has long been under pressure due to differences from Western practices. During China's rise, friction with the US has gone beyond broad geopolitics. If China has a big gap with the US in terms of military prowess, this will affect its international position and other countries' attitude toward China.