Troops must have faith in their ‘red genes’ says Xi Jinping

The Chinese President urges troops to bolster confidence in the "independent path" that Beijing has pursued.

Chinese President Xi Jinping gives a military flag to Wei Fenghe, commander of the Rocket Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Beijing. File photo

Following major structural military reforms including a revamp of country’s nuclear forces, Chinese President Xi Jinping is now focusing on personnel — urging troops to bolster confidence in the “independent path” that Beijing has pursued, under the stewardship of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"The troops should maintain a high degree of conformity with the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Central Military Commission (CMC) in ideology, politics and action," said President Xi during a visit to the Chongqing based 13th Group Army. He called upon the army to pass on its “red genes” to future generations.

Mr. Xi’s visit on Tuesday follows a major structural revamp of the military, focused on a tighter apex control of the CMC over a leaner and more lethal People’s Liberation Army (PLA). President Xi is the head of the CMC.

Details are now emerging on the formation of three bodies — the PLA Army General Command, the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force — which were formally unveiled in Beijing by President Xi on December 31.

Of these, the formation of the PLA rocket force is highly significant. It replaces the Second Artillery Force, which exercised operational control over the country’s nuclear forces. China’s Defence Ministry, however, stressed that the establishment of the Rocket Force does not imply any doctrinal change to China’s nuclear policy. Defence Ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun clarified at a press conference that China remained committed to a no-first-use of nuclear weapons policy and defensive nuclear posture. Xinhua quoted President Xi as saying that the new unit should "enhance nuclear deterrence and counter-strike capacity” as well as “medium- and long-range precision strike ability”. Analysts say that China is bolstering its second nuclear strike capability, especially through new submarine launched ballistic missiles.

The reforms announced by President Xi focused strongly on apex command and control issues, highlighting a tighter stewardship of the military establishment by the CMC. The state-owned tabloid

Global Times reported that the CMC would exercise direct control over the newly formed Army General Command. The daily quoted Song Zhongping, a military specialist as saying that the CMC would now be able to directly lead the army, the navy, the air force and rocket force, greatly enhancing the combat punch during wartime. Prior to the current round of reforms, the army was supervised by four headquarters: The General Staff Headquarters, the General Political Department, the General Logistics Department and the General Armament Department.

The PLA Strategic Support Force will play a major coordinating role, linking up cyber and space inputs during combat and preventing online threats from materialising in the military and civilian domains. China Military Online, the website of the PLA, quoting Yin Zhuo, a military specialist, revealed that the specific tasks of the new institution will include observation and reconnaissance, supporting navigation, which includes usage of China’s home-grown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. It will also include space reconnaissance, as well as the defence of electromagnetic space and cyberspace. Besides, the PLA Strategic Support Force will also play an important role in safeguarding the national financial security, the website said.