Xi stresses cultivation of military personnel

President Xi Jinping called for enhanced efforts to train more military professionals.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in Beijing on Wednesday that a strong pool of talented professionals is the foundation of a powerful military.

He urged the armed forces to uphold the military education strategies of the new era, prioritize personnel training, further deepen military school reforms and boost innovation so they can make new generations of professionals having both integrity and capability.

Xi was speaking at the opening ceremony of a training session for heads of military academies and schools at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army. He was accompanied by all members of the Central Military Commission.

The president said that the core mission of military education is to make military personnel loyal to the Party, competent in work, capable in operation and upright in behavior.

He ordered that long-term planning must be adopted in military schools' management and development, and curricula must be set to fit the latest developments in frontline units and also must be focused on strengthening frontline units' combat capability.

Xi said that heads of military schools should take the lead in the study of military affairs and combat operations and place combat research atop their agendas.

Furthermore, selection and training of top-level teachers must be strengthened at military schools. Frontline units' commanders who have good capability and performance will be invited to give lectures at military schools, the president said.

He also said that all units in the armed forces must support and prioritize the development of military schools.

This is the sixth time Xi made a public visit to a military school since he became the top leader in November 2012.

In May, he inspected the PLA Ground Force's Infantry Academy in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, requesting the Chinese military's education systems make combat training the center of their teachings.

During that inspection tour, Xi said teaching and training at military schools must be focused on what the armed forces require for victory, and they must provide competent personnel to support the Party's efforts in building a strong military.