IX. Opening Up New Prospects¹ for Modernization² of National Defense³ and the Armed Forces

To strengthen national defense and the armed forces occupies an important place in the overall arrangements for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Bearing in mind the overall strategic interests of national security and development, we must take both economic and national defense development into consideration and make our country prosperous and our armed forces powerful while building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

For the armed forces to fully⁴ carry out the historical missions assigned by the Party and the people at this new stage in the new century, we must always follow the guidance of Mao Zedong's military thinking, Deng Xiaoping's thinking on building the armed forces in the new period and Jiang Zemin's thinking on building national defense and the armed forces, and take the Scientific Outlook on Development as an important guiding principle for strengthening national defense and the armed forces. We must implement⁵ the military strategy for the new period, accelerate the revolution in military affairs with Chinese characteristics, ensure military preparedness, and enhance the military's capability⁶ to respond to various security threats and accomplish diverse military tasks. We are determined⁷ to safeguard China's sovereignty, security and territorial⁸ integrity and help maintain world peace.

To make the armed forces more revolutionary, modernized¹⁰ and standardized¹¹ is an integrated endeavor, and balanced progress must be made in all the three aspects. We must always adhere to the fundamental principle of the Party exercising absolute leadership over the armed forces and the fundamental purpose of the armed forces serving the people. We will educate the military in its historical missions, ideals, beliefs, combat-ready spirit and the socialist¹² maxims¹³ of honor and disgrace, and ensure that it carries forward its fine traditions of following the Party's orders, serving the people and fighting valiantly¹⁴ and skillfully. We must build strong armed forces through science and technology. To attain¹⁵ the strategic objective of building computerized armed forces and winning IT-based warfare¹⁶, we will accelerate composite development of mechanization and computerization, carry out military training under IT-based conditions, modernize⁹ every aspect of logistics, intensify¹⁷ our efforts to train a new type of high-caliber military personnel in large numbers and change the mode of generating combat capabilities¹⁸. We must run the armed forces in accordance with the law, enforce strict discipline, improve relevant laws and regulations and strengthen scientific management.

In keeping with the new trends in world military affairs and the new requirements of China's development, we must promote innovation in military theory, technology, organization and management. We will adjust and reform the structure, staffing, policies and institutions of the armed forces to gradually develop a complete set of scientific modes of organization, institutions and ways of operation with Chinese characteristics and in conformity¹⁹ with the laws governing the development of modern armed forces. We will adjust and reform the systems of defense-related science, technology and industry and of weapons and equipment procurement²⁰, and enhance our capacity for independent innovation in R&D of weapons and equipment with better quality and cost-effectiveness. We will establish sound systems of weapons and equipment research and manufacturing, military personnel training and logistics that integrate military with civilian²¹ purposes and combine military efforts with civilian support, build the armed forces through diligence and thrift²², and blaze a path of development with Chinese characteristics featuring military and civilian integration²³. We will enrich and develop military sciences by carefully studying the features and laws of building and running the armed forces and the strategies and tactics for people's war under the new historical conditions.

We will raise the people's awareness²⁴ of national defense, strengthen national defense mobilization by improving the mobilization system, and enhance the quality of the reserves and the militia²⁵. We will strengthen the People's Armed Police so that it can better fulfill²⁶ its duties of safeguarding national security and social stability and ensuring that the people live and work in peace. We must ensure that the government and the people support the military and give preferential treatment to the families of servicemen and martyrs²⁷, and that the military supports the government and cherishes the people. We will energetically encourage the military and the people to work together to promote cultural and ethical²⁸ progress, and consolidate²⁹ the solidarity³⁰ between the military and the government and between the military and the people. Party organizations and governments at all levels and the general public will, as always, support efforts to strengthen national defense and the armed forces, and the military will continue to contribute to economic and social development.