Command stressed

In recent years, the military has established the Strategic Support Force and Joint Logistic Support Force and placed the Armed Police Force and the PLA reserve forces under the unified control of the CPC Central Committee and Central Military Commission to promote a more integrated military and centralized command.

The military also released its first regulation, which came into effect in March 2019, governing military training with unified inspection standards so that various military units would be better coordinated and supervised.

To target military talent, the PLA Ground Force organized its first large-scale test of its high-ranking commanders last year, emphasizing the idea that commanding officers also must take the lead in combat readiness training. In the meantime, China's education and defense authorities have also revised a set of guidelines on military courses for university students that added military knowledge as well as practical new skills more tailored to today's international strategic situation.

On Oct 1 of last year, a grand military parade was held in Beijing on National Day to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The parade showcased the armed forces' upgraded joint combat capabilities and noticeable advances in the PLA's modernization in recent years.

The parade unveiled for the first time many world-class weapons developed and built in China. The most notable weapons included the DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile. Its estimated operational range of 12,000 to 15,000 kilometers makes it the longest-range missile in operation. It is also widely regarded as one of the most advanced and lethal strategic deterrents on the planet and possessed by only three countries－the United States, Russia and China.

Other weapons that made their public debut were DF-17 hypersonic ballistic missile, characterized by ultrafast speed and a sophisticated trajectory that make penetrating enemy defense networks an easy job, as well as the ZTQ-15 light tank, which is highly mobile, strong and capable of moving through many kinds of tough terrain.

The hardware displayed was also only part of the evidence that China's armed forces have accelerated the development of advanced high-tech equipment to meet information-based combat requirements.

Last year, the country's first domestically designed aircraft carrier, CNS Shandong, entered service in the Navy. In January, China's first Type 055 guided-missile destroyer, the CNS Nanchang, was commissioned. The Type 055 destroyer is widely considered Asia's biggest and mightiest such combat ship.

Following the launch in September of the first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, also known as a landing dock for helicopters, China's second Type 075 vessel was launched in April. The ship is believed to extensively boost the Navy's amphibious operational capability.

Despite increasing efforts to raise joint combat capacity and technological progress, the military has also emphasized many times that its development is based on peaceful intentions and is for self-defense.

China will never seek hegemony or expansion. As a major power, the Chinese military has actively fulfilled its international responsibilities and is willing to promote international military cooperation in the new era and strive to contribute to building a world of lasting peace and security, according to the defense white paper.

Zhao Lei contributed to this story.