Xi lauds army's great achievements in 90 years

A grand gathering is held in Beijing to celebrate the PLA's 90th founding anniversary. [Photo: Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday expounded on the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s great achievements over the past nine decades.

Xi made the remarks while addressing a grand gathering in Beijing celebrating the PLA's 90th founding anniversary.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the armed forces have gone through wars and battles, made tremendous sacrifices and achieved one glorious victory after another.

In the 22 years of armed struggle led by the CPC, the people's army won difficult wars, defeated extremely ferocious enemies from home and abroad, and overthrew the "three big mountains" of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism to lay a solid foundation for the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Xi said.

The people's army won victories in the 1950-53 war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea and in multiple border counter-attacks in self-defense, safeguarding the country's vast land and sea borders, he said.

The PLA has taken part in the new "great revolution" in the years since reform and opening-up. It foiled threats to the state's security, cracked down on all forms of separatism, and actively participated in foreign military exchanges and international peace-keeping missions, he said.