Xi extends Spring Festival greetings to service personnel

BEIJING -- As the Spring Festival draws near, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), inspected the armed forces' combat readiness and ongoing operations and extended cordial greetings to relevant troops via video link at the Bayi Building in Beijing on Feb. 10. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC, Xi expressed sincere regards and extended Spring Festival greetings to service personnel of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Armed Police Force, civilian personnel posted in the military, and members of reserve forces and militia.

At around 4 p.m., Xi arrived at the Bayi Building. He spoke via video link with nine units from different services of the military and the armed police. The officers and soldiers from the units -- the 2nd Battalion of an Army brigade, the Navy's amphibious assault ship Anhui, an Air Force aviation brigade, a Rocket Force brigade, an Aerospace Force unit, a Cyberspace Force unit, a center of the Information Support Force, a depot of the Joint Logistic Support Force and a detachment of the Armed Police Force -- reported to Xi about their combat readiness and ongoing operations in sequence. Xi listened attentively to what they reported and engaged in cordial exchanges with them. He gave full affirmation when he learned that the officers and soldiers, high in spirits and morale, made solid efforts to bolster training and combat readiness in their respective posts. Xi encouraged the officers and soldiers to devote great energy to vigorously strengthening combat-oriented training, make good use of the in-service weaponry and equipment, and enhance the building and operational employment of their combat capabilities.

Describing the past year as highly unusual and extraordinary, Xi said the people's armed forces had advanced in-depth political rectification, effectively addressed various risks and challenges, and undergone a revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption. Officers and soldiers across the armed forces, especially those at the grassroots level, had been steadfast in following the Party's commands, faithfully fulfilled their duties, pooled strength to overcome challenges, and successfully accomplished all tasks, proving themselves capable and dependable, Xi said.

The New Year holiday of the Year of the Horse is just days away, and maintaining combat readiness during holidays is a fine tradition of the PLA, Xi said, asking all military units to strengthen combat readiness, maintain required vigilance, and stand ready to respond to various potential emergencies in a timely and effective manner, so as to safeguard national peace and the well-being of the people. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to ensure overall coordination between work and life during the festival, Xi said.

Zhang Shengmin and others were present at the event.