Chinese army urged to strengthen combat preparedness

A senior Chinese military official has called on the armed forces to strengthen combat preparedness and ensure victories in wars.Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks during an inspection tour of troops stationed in east China's Jiangsu, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.The army should always maintain its readiness and fighting abilities to ensure victory, Fan said.He urged all military staff to comprehend and implement the key points conveyed in a speech last month by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CMC."Military officers and soldiers must be absolutely loyal, pure and reliable, and firmly follow the directions of the Central Committee of the CPC, Central Military Commission and chairman Xi," Fan said.Fan is also a Political Bureau member of the CPC Central Committee.He urged military staff to step up training, especially in complex situations such as electromagnetic environment and field operations.Training must be strict and targeted to meet real wartime needs rather than a show, he said.