China’s ‘two sessions’ 2023: Xi Jinping tells defence delegation new policy crucial for stronger army and nation

President says ‘enhancing integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities’ key to China’s aim of becoming a global power
Beijing encourages big-picture thinking and making best use of national laboratories to maximise ‘overall strategic capabilities’

Two Sessions 2023 (Lianghui)

Liu Zhen

Published: 12:00pm, 9 Mar 2023

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Improving China’s “integrated strategic capabilities” is needed to fulfil China’s goal of national rejuvenation and building a world-class army, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.

In a meeting with the People’s Liberation Army delegation to the 14th National People’s Congress on Wednesday, Xi said the strategy was key to China’s aim of becoming a global power in an increasingly competitive and challenging world. The delegation includes representatives from the military and the People’s Armed Police – a paramilitary unit.

“[Whether we can] implement this policy well … has profound significance in our building of a modern socialist country, pushing forward our dream of national rejuvenation … and accelerating the modernisation of our army as a world-class armed force,” Xi was quoted by state broadcaster CCTV as saying.

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The concept – officially known as “enhancing integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities” and promoted after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party in October – emphasises broader planning, integrated mustering and allocation of resources and coordination under a unified leadership.

“The key … is about integration,” Xi said. “[It’s success] will decide whether we can maximise our overall strategic capabilities.”

According to the CCTV report, Xi told the PLA delegates they should develop a big-picture mindset when they put the idea into practice and pursue breakthroughs with new technologies and innovations.

He called for national laboratories to be put to good use so they could play an instrumental role in China’s self-reliance drive and gain a “new competitive edge in national development and international competition”.

In addition, he said China had to speed up building national reserve systems suitable for the defence of a big country.

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Most importantly, Xi said party leadership played a crucial role in unifying and strengthening different strategic areas to “improve the integrated use of strategic resources and boost our overall ability in handling strategic risk, defending our strategic interests and achieving our strategic targets”.

It’s customary for Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission which commands the military, to join PLA deputies at annual NPC meetings but his latest remarks underscored Beijing’s determination to speed up the modernisation of its armed force as it prepares for more intense competition with Western countries.

In his latest government work report, outgoing premier Li Keqiang outlined a 7.2 per cent increase in defence expenditure for 2023, outpacing the 5 per cent economic growth target for this year.

Beijing has published few details of its “enhancing integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities” policy, but an article published in the PLA Daily in October said it addressed the complex security threats that China faced and would give the country a strategic edge.

It is about “unifying our two major goals of building a prosperous country and powerful army; and coordinating the two key issues of development and security,” the PLA Daily article said.

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“History has proven this over and over again – a strong country is always the combined result of [robust] economy and [powerful] defence,” the article said, adding that a country’s defence build-up should be closely tied with its economic and social development.

“Challenges in battlefields are not just contests of the defence systems of different countries but competition of their overall national strength.”