​Chinese army vows to continue military reforms

China's Ministry of Defense is vowing to continue military reforms to strengthen the combat capacity of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), while expanding its military cooperation with other countries.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense [Photo: China.com.cn]

The pledge has come ahead of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the PLA on August 1st.

In outlining its goals of increasing the PLA's combat capabilities, the Ministry of National Defense said during a press conference on Monday that the ultimate goal is to create a strong, world-class army in a new situation.

It suggested the best way to achieve this is through continued reforms.

"We're focused on combat readiness and carrying out military strategy in a new situation through established fighting capability standards, improvements to the joint operational command structure, as well as modifications to military training. We're also working to establish a modern logistics force, increase our use of science and technology in our military structure, and integrate ourselves more into the civilian sector. We want to cultivate new talent as we continue to build up our military capacity," said Senior Colonel Wu Qian. 

Under the current reform strategy, the PLA expects to see changes to the military leadership and management system, as well as the joint battle command system by 2020.

The PLA has already been undergoing significant changes within its organization and structure.

A general command for the PLA Army, the PLA Rocket Force, and the PLA Strategic Support Force was established in late 2015.

Meanwhile, China's defense budget has been set at a 7% increase this year, the slowest rise in defense spending in a decade.

The reduced spending comes as the military continues to cut troops by 300,000 from the 2015 level. 

Asked about the recent Chinese naval tours, Senior Colonel Wu Qian said it is the duty of China's military to take part in international military exercises.

"China's armed forces have been actively expanding their military cooperation. The PLA is actively participating in international peace-keeping, anti-piracy, humanitarian aid, disaster relief and other international activity. This is the responsibility that the PLA accepts as the armed forces of a major country. PLA warships and planes, as those of other militaries, are well within their right to navigate in and fly over non-territorial waters," said Wu. 

A series of events are set to take place in the coming days in the lead-up to the 90th anniversary of the PLA's founding.

Senior Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have already toured a major exhibition meant to highlight the PLA's role in Chinese society, which is currently being held at the Military Museum in western Beijing.