Armed forces pledge to follow Xi's order to build strong military

BEIJING -- Chinese military servicemen have unanimously voiced strong support for President Xi Jinping's instruction on a major military reshuffle.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), met Tuesday with commanders of 84 newly adjusted or established corps-level units and issued instructions for them.

All the units must adhere to the Party leadership and obey the CPC Central Committee and the CMC, Xi said.

Identifying the 84 units as crucial parts of a new system, Xi called on them to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and developmental interests.

All the officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA)pledged to obey the CPC Central Committee, the CMC and President Xi to enhance combat readiness and build an indestructible army.

The PLA Army said that they would uphold the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as the core, follow orders and strengthen combat training.

The PLA Navy said they would spare no efforts to build a powerful force to protect China's maritime rights and interests, and effectively respond to maritime security threats.

The PLA Air Force said they would strengthen combat training, and strive to become a force of integrated air and space capacities competent for both offensive and defensive missions.

The PLA Rocket Force said they would focus on building a world-class strategic force as envisioned by President Xi Jinping, eradicate the bad influence of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, corrupt former CMC vice chairmen, and concentrate on building an invincible army.

The PLA Strategic Support Force said they would spare no efforts to make major innovation breakthroughs and cultivate a high-end talent pool to seize the strategic military high ground.

All military serviceman vowed to greet the 19th CPC National Congress scheduled for later this year with outstanding achievements and a brand new look.

China has pledged to make advances in reforming the military leadership and management system, as well as the joint battle command system by 2020.

The PLA has experienced a series of historic changes in its organization and structure since 2015.

The general command of the PLA Army, the PLA Rocket Force, and the PLA Strategic Support Force were established in late 2015.

The previous seven military area commands were regrouped into five theater commands, and the four military departments -- staff, politics, logistics and armaments -- were reorganized into 15 agencies in 2016.