Xi urges military to remain steadfast in flood battle
Pub Date:2020-08-21 08:43 Source:China Daily
President Xi Jinping on Thursday urged China's military to make
unremitting efforts to fulfill follow-up tasks in the ongoing flood
control and disaster relief work.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission,
greeted members of the People's Liberation Army, the People's Armed
Police Force, the militia and the reserve service who had taken part in
flood control and aid efforts. He told them to continue contributing to
flood control and reconstruction work.
The president, who had been in Anhui province since Tuesday for an
inspection tour, gave the instruction after hearing reports from the
military on its cooperation with local governments in battling floods
across the country.
Commanders from the Central Military Commission's Joint Staff
Department, the PLA Eastern Theater Command, the PLA Anhui Provincial
Command and the People's Armed Police Force's Anhui Provincial Service
briefed Xi about their troops' roles in the fight against the floods.
By Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of military personnel had been
mobilized to take part in flood control and aid operations in 17
provincial-level regions. They helped local authorities relocate over
170,000 residents, handled more than 3,900 emergencies, reinforced over
900 kilometers of dikes and dams, and repaired about 350 km of damaged
roads, according to the officers.
Xi acknowledged the contribution of the armed forces, saying that
they have won a significant victory in the battle against the floods.
He ordered them to work with local governments to strengthen the
monitoring and forecasting of floods so their forces could be deployed
more efficiently and effectively.
They must strive to keep their troops in good condition, detect and
remove hazards in a timely manner, safeguard people's lives and
property, and assist with relief and reconstruction efforts, Xi said.
He ordered the military to strictly manage its troops, in order to honor its good reputation and image.
The fight against the floods can also be regarded as an opportunity
to examine the military's command and operational capabilities, the
fighting spirit of officers and soldiers, and the relations between the
military and local governments as well as the public, Xi said, asking
the military to summarize its experiences gained in the operation and
use this to improve its work.
In addition, the president demanded that the armed forces must
achieve this year's goals in the fields of national defense and military
building and realize the missions set by the Party and the people.
The military's crisis preparedness, bottom-line thinking and combat
training must be enhanced to ensure it can respond to any contingencies
and win a war, he said.
Moreover, key work such as the making of long-term plans and reforming policy systems must be intensified, Xi ordered.