Xi Jinping Center for the Study of Strong Army Thought: Struggle Tirelessly to Advance the Modernization of National Defense and the Armed Forces with High Quality
Advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces is a "matter of national significance" [1] to which the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core attaches great importance and has personally managed and implemented. The recently published Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China takes "Chinese-path modernization" as its consistent theme and through-line, possessing an extremely rich and profound connotation. Within it, comprehensively raising the level of national defense and military modernization is both a major component of the entire book and the essential essence of the three documents specifically collected in the twelfth thematic section. These important documents and related major discourses further enrich and develop Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, representing the latest achievements in the Party’s military guiding theory. With a sense of responsibility and faith, the People’s Army must earnestly organize the study and utilization of this most authoritative and vivid teaching material. We must integrate the study of Volumes I through V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China as an interconnected whole, combining this with the study and implementation of the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We must study and comprehend them comprehensively and accurately, implement them unwaveringly, effectively enhance the sense of mission and urgency in advancing high-quality development of national defense and military modernization, and strive to provide a strong strategic support for the cause of building a great power and national rejuvenation.
Profoundly recognizing that national defense and military modernization is an essential component of Chinese-path modernization
Using Chinese-path modernization to comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation inherently includes the construction of national defense and the armed forces. Focusing on the realization of the Chinese Dream and the Dream of a Strong Military, accelerating the process of national defense and military modernization, and building a consolidated national defense and a powerful military represent the Party's high degree of historical consciousness and farsightedness in the New Era. This constitutes an important political significance running through Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.
In the long river of the evolution of human civilization, drama after drama of the rise and fall of great powers has been continuously staged. A powerful nation must have a powerful military; only with a strong military can the nation be secure—this is an iron law in the rise of the world’s great powers. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has towered in the East, possessing a civilized history of over 5,000 years. However, in modern times, due to political corruption, a policy of seclusion [2], and backwardness in industrial technology and military strength, the gates of ancient China were forced open by the sturdy ships and powerful cannons [3] of Western powers. This vast country gradually regressed into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and the Chinese nation suffered unprecedented calamities. From the Opium War to the First Sino-Japanese War [4], and from the invasion by the Eight-Nation Alliance to Japan’s flagrant launch of a full-scale war of aggression against China, enemies invaded our land or sea hundreds of times. Sometimes, with only several thousand men and a few warships, or by placing a few cannons on the coast, they could run rampant across our country and force the rulers of the time to sign unequal treaties, causing the modernization process of the Chinese nation to be interrupted time and again. Regarding this, Chairman Xi has profoundly pointed out: "Once military backwardness is formed, the impact on national security will be fatal. I often read historical materials on modern China, and whenever I see those tragic scenes of being bullied because of backwardness [5], it cuts me to the heart!" The founding of New China completely ended the tragic fate of the people in the old China. Precisely because our Party and state attach great importance to the construction of national defense and the armed forces, and dare to "show the sword" [6] at critical moments, we have withstood various external pressures and resolutely defended national independence, sovereignty, security, and dignity. History has repeatedly proven that if the military hand is weak, national security has no guarantee; without a powerful military, there can be no powerful motherland.
Achieving modernization has been the cherished ambition sought with unremitting perseverance by the Chinese people since modern times. Leading the Chinese people in the pursuit of national prosperity, national rejuvenation, and people's happiness, the Communist Party of China found the "broad road" [7] of Chinese-path modernization. Entering the New Era, our Party has focused on resolving prominent contradictions and problems existing in the drive for modernization, liberating the mind, innovating boldly, and advancing a series of transformative practices. We have achieved a series of breakthrough advances and landmark results, successfully advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization. In today's China, changes are occurring with each passing day, and we are closer than at any period in history to the goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Considering and handling military issues within the overall context of the Party's cause and planning national defense and military modernization within the overall process of national modernization is a basic experience of our Party’s governance. Currently, although our country has become the world’s second-largest economy, the elements of a great power are still incomplete; we are at a critical developmental stage of being "large but not yet strong" or "approaching strength but not yet having attained it."
"The way of all benefits is to advance with the times" [8]. Chairman Xi has clearly pointed out that military strength must match economic strength; to whatever stage economic and social development reaches, military strength must follow suit. Responding to the call of the times for a strong military to match a strong nation objectively requires that national defense and military modernization be elevated in the shortest possible time, ensuring military capabilities adapt to the strategic requirements of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
In the world today, a new round of technological and military revolution is developing rapidly. In particular, the driving role of the technological revolution in the military revolution has become increasingly prominent, overturning people's perceptions of warfare. Looking at several recent local wars and military actions globally, the characteristics of informationalization and intelligentization are increasingly apparent; concepts, elements, and modes of victory in war are all undergoing major changes. Major military powers are one after another accelerating the construction of intelligentized military systems, and the competition for the strategic "commanding heights" of military competition is extremely fierce. The Party Central Committee has made the scientific judgment that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Suppression and containment from the outside could escalate at any time. Our country’s development has entered a period where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, and where uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing. Various "black swan" and "gray rhino" events could happen at any time. This clearly requires us to forge ahead despite difficulties, face challenges head-on, and rely on tenacious struggle to open up new horizons for the development of our cause. Facing the ever-changing international situation and the realistically existing danger of war, our military’s modernization level still has a certain gap compared to strong foreign adversaries. Only by accelerating national defense and military modernization and comprehensively improving our military’s ability to fight "high-end wars" can we provide strong strategic support for overcoming various risks and challenges on the road ahead, and shoulder more responsibilities and obligations for maintaining world peace and development and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
Accurately grasping the strategic deployment of national defense and military modernization
Chinese-path modernization has produced a magnificent blueprint for how to build a great modern socialist power. In the documents collected in Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, such as the Report to the 20th CPC National Congress, further explicit deployments have been made on how to accelerate the promotion of national defense and military modernization. Only by comprehensively and accurately comprehending and implementing these arrangements and deployments without reservation can the character and quality of national defense and military modernization be ensured.
Achieving the centenary goal of military building as scheduled. On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and achieving the Second Centenary Goal, our Party proposed a new "three-step" strategy for national defense and military modernization: achieving the centenary goal of military building by 2027, basically achieving the modernization of national defense and the armed forces by 2035, and comprehensively building a world-class military by the middle of this century. This lays out a development blueprint of the cause of strengthening the military in the New Era where short-, medium-, and long-term goals are connected in succession. The Report to the 20th CPC National Congress specifically made deployments for "achieving the centenary goal of military building and opening up a new situation for the modernization of national defense and the armed forces," further highlighting the importance of successfully completing the first step of the new "three-step" strategy. We must stand at the overall height of Chinese-path modernization to profoundly recognize that achieving the centenary goal of military building embodies the requirements of our country's development strategy, security strategy, and military strategy. Its basic path is to promote the integrated development of mechanization, informationalization, and intelligentization. Its fundamental objective is to comprehensively improve the People’s Army’s strategic capability to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests. We must profoundly recognize that achieving the centenary goal of military building is a profound transformation; we must change development concepts, innovate development models, and enhance development momentum to actively promote high-quality development. We must profoundly recognize that fighting the tough battle to achieve the centenary goal of military building is the responsibility of the whole military as well as the whole Party and the whole country; it concerns the overall situation, must be completed on schedule, and allows for no failure. We must profoundly recognize that we have reached the most arduous stage in achieving the set goals; we must enhance the sense of urgency, work hard and pragmatically, strengthen our confidence in victory, and overcome all difficulties to strive for success, delivering a qualified result through practical actions.
Accelerating the modernization of military theory, organizational forms, military personnel, and weaponry and equipment. 2035 is an important node in the construction of a great modern socialist power, by which time national defense and the armed forces must basically achieve modernization. While completing the first step’s goals and tasks, we must systematically plan and steadily yet rapidly complete the second step of national defense and military modernization. Basically achieving the modernization of military theory means deeply studying war and military issues, innovating strategic guidance to advance with the times, developing advanced combat theories, and forming a military theoretical system that is contemporary, leading, and unique. Basically achieving the modernization of organizational forms means continuously deepening the reform of national defense and the armed forces, promoting a revolution in military management, optimizing the structure and layout of military forces, strengthening strategic forces and new-domain and new-quality combat forces, and creating a high-level strategic deterrence and joint operations system. Basically achieving the modernization of military personnel means implementing the strategy of strengthening the military through talent, cultivating and utilizing talent in an all-round way, and promoting the comprehensive transformation and upgrading of military personnel’s capabilities, qualities, structural layout, and development management, so as to forge a phalanx of high-quality, professional, and new-type military personnel possessing both political integrity and professional competence. Basically achieving the modernization of weaponry and equipment means concentrating on independent and original innovation in defense science and technology, accelerating the development of strategic, frontier, and disruptive technologies, accelerating the upgrading of weaponry and equipment and the development of intelligentized weaponry, and building a weaponry and equipment system that meets the requirements of modern warfare and the fulfillment of missions. These four aspects are the primary markers of basically achieving national defense and military modernization.
Accelerating the building of the People’s Army into a world-class military. In accordance with the "timetable" for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, achieving the comprehensive modernization of national defense and the armed forces by the middle of this century means building the People’s Army into a world-class military that is commensurate with our country’s status as a great power, capable of comprehensively and effectively maintaining national security, and possessing strong international influence. This strategic arrangement encapsulates the expectations and trust of the Party and the people in the military, demonstrates the Party's determination and courage to build a powerful military, and reveals the inherent prescription of the Party’s mission and tasks for the military’s development goals, possessing rich connotations and far-reaching significance. Being "commensurate with our country’s status as a great power" points out the relationship between a strong nation and a strong military: only by possessing a world-class military can one be called a true global power, meaning that when our country is built into a global power, our military will certainly become a solid support for consolidating that status. Being "capable of comprehensively and effectively maintaining national security" requires our military’s joint combat capabilities based on network information systems and its all-domain combat capabilities to undergo a major leap, enabling the comprehensive use of diverse military means to deter and win wars and effectively defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests. "Possessing strong international influence" emphasizes that our military should stand shoulder to shoulder with the militaries of world powers, be able to grasp the initiative in international and military competition, lead the trend of world military development, and always remain a powerful force of justice for maintaining world peace and development.
Striving to open up a new situation for the modernization of national defense and the armed forces
Our Party’s arrangements and deployments for national defense and military modernization have drawn a blueprint for strengthening the military over the next 20 to 30 years. This is the most grand and far-reaching strategic design in our military’s history, establishing an action program for the People’s Army to face the future and forge ahead with new strength. To deeply study and implement Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, we must implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and its plenary sessions, persist in placing the promotion of high-quality national defense and military modernization in a more important position, and, according to the set goals and tasks, struggle to strengthen the military with a spirit of "seizing the day and the hour" [9], running at an accelerated pace and opening up new frontiers.
Constantly enhancing our military's political advantages. To accelerate national defense and military modernization, the primary task is to persist in the Party’s absolute leadership over the People’s Army. Currently, the international situation, national conditions, Party conditions, and military conditions are all undergoing complex and profound changes. The "Four Tests" and "Four Dangers" [10] faced by our Party will exist over the long term, and the tests faced by our military in the political sphere are intricate. We must remain clear-headed and determined in resolving the unique challenges of a large party, and promote political army-building without a moment’s pause, providing a strong political guarantee for the cause of strengthening the military. On the new journey, the Party’s building within the military must only be strengthened, not weakened. We must deeply advance the new great project of Party building in the New Era and truly transform the Party’s political and organizational advantages into advantages for victory. We must further improve the systems and mechanisms for implementing the Chairperson of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Responsibility System, striving through a series of institutional designs and perfected mechanisms to ensure that the principle of "the Party commands the gun" is implemented down to the smallest detail. We must further deepen the equipping of the military with the Party's innovative theories, study and grasp Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, transform scientific truth into the practice of the masses, and turn spiritual strength into material strength. We must further promote political rectification to go deeper and be implemented more substantively, eradicating the soil and conditions for the growth of corruption, ensuring the military’s atmosphere and work style remain pure and refreshing. All officers and soldiers of the entire military must profoundly understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses," firm up the "Four Confidences," achieve the "Two Upholds," and implement the Chairperson of the CMC Responsibility System, ensuring all actions resolutely follow the commands of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi.
Promote the high-quality development of our military through high-level military governance. Military governance is a substantive component of our Party’s national governance; it is the logical extension and practical manifestation of national governance within the military sphere. The report to the 20th Party National Congress proposed for the first time the brand-new proposition and scientific thesis of "military governance," and the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee further made the important deployment to "advance the modernization of military governance," which possesses significant theoretical innovation and practical guiding significance. In recent years, the level of national defense and military modernization has risen significantly; however, viewed from the requirements of achieving high-quality development, certain persistent ailments [11] remain in some fields, making it urgent to improve the level of scientific governance. We must strengthen systems thinking [12], adhere to a problem-oriented approach, emphasize the top-level design and strategic planning of military governance, and carry out governance across all fields, throughout the entire chain, and at every level, advancing in a planned manner with specific priorities. We must strengthen overall coordination, bolster cross-departmental and cross-field coordination, and enhance the systemic, holistic, and synergistic nature of military governance. We must implement solid management and supervision of military expenditures, deepen governance in key fields, and drive overall progress through breakthroughs in key areas. We must advance innovation in strategic management, improve the mechanisms for the scientific generation of requirements, rapid response, and effective implementation, and open up a path for specialized evaluation throughout the entire process to ensure that the chain remains smooth and efficient, thereby giving play to the overall effectiveness of military system operations. We must persist in organically combining military governance with reform and the rule of law, consolidate and expand the achievements of national defense and military reform, deepen military legislative work, strengthen the implementation and supervision of laws and regulations, and give full play to the driving role of reform.
Comprehensively enhance strategic capabilities in emerging fields. Strategic capabilities in emerging fields are an important component of the national strategic system and capacity, carrying profound significance for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization. Entering the New Era, our Party has coordinately advanced the development of strategic emerging industries and new-type combat forces, achieving a series of major results and providing a rare opportunity for building strategic capabilities in emerging fields. On the new journey, we should further strengthen our sense of mission and responsibility, grasp the relevant characteristics and laws, and promote the efficient integration and mutual promotion of new quality productive forces and new quality combat capabilities. Focusing closely on development priorities, we must coordinate preparations for maritime military struggle, the protection of maritime rights and interests, and the development of the marine economy to improve our ability to manage the seas; optimize the layout of aerospace and advance the construction of our country's aerospace system; construct a cyberspace defense system to improve the ability to maintain national network security; and strengthen the coordinated implementation of major intelligent technology projects while increasing the application of advanced achievements. Centering on accelerating the construction of advanced combat capabilities, we must shift the engine of scientific and technological innovation into full gear, create growth poles for new quality productive forces and new quality combat capabilities, and develop an innovative situation characterized by multi-point breakthroughs and collective outbursts. We must persist in taking the deepening of reforms in emerging fields as a priority, and strive to build an innovation ecosystem of self-reliance, self-strength, open integration, and vitality. We must more consciously transform our mindsets, boldly innovate and explore construction and application models for new-type combat forces, and fully liberate and develop new quality combat capabilities.
Our military is an armed group for executing the Party's political tasks. Chairman Xi has emphasized many times that "the Chinese People’s Liberation Army is forever a heroic force that the Party and the people can fully trust." This important thesis crystallizes the expectations and heavy trust of the Party and the people; it is both a high praise for the historical merits of the people's army and a political requirement for our military to better take up its responsibilities and live up to its mission. On the new journey, the officers and soldiers of the whole army must strengthen their political consciousness of "mission as immovable as a mountain and faith as firm as a rock," persist in following the Party's command, being able to win battles, and maintaining an exemplary conduct, winning even greater glory through even greater achievements. Where the Party flag points, the military flag follows. We must integrate new historical conditions to continuously forge the soul of the military [13], strengthen political loyalty, unswervingly listen to the Party and follow the Party, always maintain the nature, purpose, and character of the people's army, and always fight and act under the banner of the Party. We must comprehensively forge a core capability of meeting strength with superior strength, temper the spiritual fortitude to "overpower all enemies and never be overpowered by them," and maintain a high state of combat readiness—ready to fight at all times and capable of fighting at any moment—ensuring that when the Party and the people need it, the military can be deployed, get into position, and win the fight. We must resolutely ensure that our actions match our words; we have the confidence and the ability to safeguard national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; we have the confidence and the ability to provide strategic support for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; and we have the confidence and the ability to make greater contributions to world peace and development.
Source: Guangming Daily (December 29, 2025) Web Editor: Huihui