PLA sets up information support force, to advance Chinese military's competitiveness in modern warfare

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), presents a flag to the information support force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) at its establishment ceremony in Beijing, capital of China, April 19, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has set up an information support force and Chinese President Xi Jinping presented a flag to the force at its establishment ceremony on Friday in Beijing.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), stressed solid efforts to build a strong and modernized information support force.

Xi said that the establishment of the information support force is a major decision that the CPC Central Committee and the CMC have made in light of the overall need for building a strong military.

Xi stressed that the information support force is a new, strategic branch of the military and a key pillar in coordinating the construction and application of the network information system. It will play a crucial role in advancing the Chinese military's high-quality development and competitiveness in modern warfare.

Establishing the information support force is of profound and far-reaching significance for the modernization of national defense and the armed forces as well as effective fulfillment of the missions and tasks of the military in the new era, Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told a press conference on Friday.

It is a brand-new strategic arm of the PLA and a key underpinning of coordinated development and application of the network information system, which plays an important role and bears great responsibility in promoting high-quality development and the ability to fight and win in modern warfare, Wu said.

With the latest reform, the PLA now has a new system of services and arms under the leadership and command of the CMC, Wu said.

There are four services, namely the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Rocket Force, and four arms – the Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force, the Information Support Force and the Joint Logistics Support Force – Wu noted.

As circumstances and tasks evolve, China will continue to refine the modern military force structure with Chinese characteristics, the spokesperson said.

In terms of the task that the Aerospace Force undertakes, Wu said China’s space policy is clear.

“We are committed to peaceful utilization of space and stand ready to work with all countries with the same commitment to strengthen exchanges, deepen cooperation and contribute to lasting peace and common security in space,” he said.

Xi also urged efforts to build a network information system that fulfills the requirements of modern warfare and features the Chinese military's own characteristics, as well as efforts to accelerate the development of integrated combat capabilities more effectively.