Focus on combat readiness, Xi tells PLA

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, urged the People's Liberation Army on Friday to concentrate all of its attention on honing combat capabilities to make sure it can win wars.

Xi, also the Chinese president, gave the instruction on an inspection visit to the CMC Joint Command Headquarters in Beijing. He is also the commander-in-chief of the headquarters, which is the Chinese military's highest operational brain.

Xi said China is at a crucial stage in its path toward being a world power and is facing a bright future as well as many challenges. Military capabilities are of strategic importance in safeguarding national security, he added.