Xinhua, the official news agency of China, published Tuesday a
story on the contribution to national defense and the army by the
third generation leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
with Jiang Zemin at the core.
Xinhua published the story to mark the 75th anniversary of the
founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, which falls on
Thursday, August 1.
On
November 12, 1989, Jiang spoke at a top military conference for the
first time after he succeeded Deng Xiaoping as chairman of the
Central Military Commission (CMC), and he pledged to follow the
road of the older-generation revolutionaries and do a better job in
the development and reform of the army, according to the story.
Since then, Jiang and the CMC have focused on bringing the army
into line with international developments, while keeping its nature
as a people's army under the absolute leadership of the CPC.
Jiang has issued a series of instructions on the building of the
Chinese armed forces into a modern, standard and revolutionary
army, amid enormous political changes in the world.
Over the past 13 years, the army has adopted a number of reforms,
including a 500,000-member cut in manpower, further downsizing the
military which was reduced by one million in the 1980s;
establishing the PLA General Department of Logistics; and banning
the armed forces from commercial activities.
In
addition, reforms have also been carried out in the fields of
recruitment, housing, insurance, military academies, and the
command system.
Meanwhile, China has published a dozen military laws and over 100
military regulations.
The military was playing a vital role in fighting poverty and
natural disasters, and developing the space industry, the story
said.
(Xinhua News
Agency July 31, 2002)