As chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, Xi said a strong military is needed for the great renewal of the Chinese nation. He has demonstrated his strategic thinking on how to consolidate national defense and build strong armed forces.

For the past four months, Xi has inspected the army, navy, air force, second artillery corps and armed police, boarding warships and combat vehicles.

During an inspection tour to the Guangzhou Military Theater of Operations in December, Xi emphasized that soldiers must be loyal to the CPC and abide by the law.

"The armed forces need to be ready to assemble at the first call of the CPC and be capable of fighting and winning any battle," Xi said while inspecting the Lanzhou Military Area.

While vowing to never allow the country's national sovereignty, security and development interests to be infringed upon, Xi reiterated that China will always remain a staunch force in upholding world peace, as the nation suffered from wars in the past.

"We will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion," he said