Xi orders Chinese military to step up to meet new risks caused by country’s rising economic might

President Xi Jinping has ordered the military to boost its battlefield capabilities and address its weaknesses to cope with the more complicated security challenges caused by the nation’s growing stature in the world.

In a lengthy article in the PLA Daily yesterday summarising his vision for the People’s Liberation Army, Xi said if nothing was done to improve the force’s capabilities it would not be able to deal with the growing national security risks associated with the country’s ­rising economic might.

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Analysts said the publication of the article, which comes amid an overhaul of the military’s command structure and rising tensions over territorial disputes with neighbours, indicated Xi wanted to boost the military’s all-round capabilities, rather than focus solely on areas such as hi-tech weapons or cyberwarfare.

The article said the army had won wars in the past, but it had shortcomings and weaknesses that needed to be addressed.

“There is still a big gap ­between the modernisation of our army and the demands of ­national security. The gap ­between our army and other ­advanced militaries in the world is still very large,” the article said.

“There would be serious political implications if our army could not win a war in the battlefield.”