Xi Jinping calls for powerful missile force

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been ordered to build a powerful and technological missile force by Xi Jinping, the newly elected chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi, also newly elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the comments on Wednesday while meeting delegates at the 8th Party congress of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s Second Artillery Force.

The artillery force is the core strength of China's strategic deterrence, the strategic support for the country's status as a major power, and an important cornerstone safeguarding national security, Xi said.

The Party and military leader stressed the absolute CPC leadership over the military, and called for promoting the PLA's glory, fine traditions and working styles, in order to ensure the army's "absolute loyalty, purity and reliability."

The authority of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission should be consciously safeguarded, and the military should "keep pace with" the leadership in ideology, politics and actions, Xi said.

The military "should absolutely follow the command of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission at any time and under any circumstances," he said.

Xi also ordered the training of special personnel on joint operations, information-based management and missile technologies.

The military should be ruled by law, he said, adding the phenomena of lawlessness, lax enforcement and not punishing law-breakers in a timely fashion, should be ruled out.

The security and stability of the military should be ensured, he added.