BEIJING, 06 January 2021, (TON): Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked the military to strengthen training to hone its combat skills and remain on high alert as the newly revised defence law expanding the powers of the armed forces came into force this year.

The 67-year-old leader, who also heads the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) besides the Central Military Commission (CMC) -- the overall high command of the two million strong military -- signed the commission’s first order for 2021, which listed priorities in the training of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the People’s Armed Police Force (PLAF), official media here reported on Tuesday.

The order instructed the armed forces to stick to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as their guiding principle and uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military as well as military strategies in the new era.

It said the CCP will enhance its guidance over the military’s training, urging the armed forces to focus on improving their combat readiness and continuing to reform their training system, state-run China Daily reported.

Mr. Xi said the PLA must be ready to “act at any second” as the armed forces kicked off the year’s military training and exercise on Monday.

“(The PLA must) increase the integration of new equipment, new forces and new combat realms into training and combat systems,” the Chinese President Mr. Xi said.

The first such order was issued in January 2018, when Xi addressed a massive training and commencement ceremony at a shooting range in northern China.