BEIJING — President Xi Jinping on March 9 stressed achieving a good start in strengthening national defense and the armed forces during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force, at the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

Addressing the meeting, Xi praised the whole armed forces for achieving the targets and missions for 2020 amid the COVID-19 epidemic and complex domestic and international circumstances.

Laying down requirements for ensuring the good start in the military development for the next five years, Xi said development of the armed forces must focus on combat readiness.

Xi demanded efforts to step up building high-caliber strategic deterrence and joint operation systems.

Underlining innovation-driven military development, Xi called for intensified efforts and more concrete measures in the pursuit of independent innovation in science and technology, to fully leverage the role of science and technology as the strategic support for military development.

Innovation in defense-related science and technology must be significantly boosted, he said.

Highlighting the "instabilities" and "uncertainties" in China's current security circumstances, Xi said the whole armed forces must always be ready to respond to all kinds of complex and difficult situations, resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and provide strong support for fully building a modern socialist country.