Full coverage: China’s Leaders

President Xi Jinping has called for a stronger army and national defense through military reform.

The statement came during the 34th meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. President Xi, also the Party and military leader,  said the military should focus on resolving long-standing structural and policy problems to improve combat abilities.

As the global situation undergoes comprehensive changes, China's military reform should operate on a strategic level, which aims to implement new goals. Xi affirmed the results made by previous military restructuring, in which former military headquarters were reorganized into 15 new agencies under the Central Military Commission.

Xi added that he hopes the People's Liberation Army will have finished mechanization of all forces by incorporating IT technology by 2020.