Innovation in software is key to PLA forces

Top leader Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of innovation in the military at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Aug 29. Xi's speech reflects a vital strategic thought of the CPC in the context of military reform, China's security environment and the global situation.

Xi said the world is at a tipping point in the realigning of strategic forces and shaping of the world order, in which military development can be an opportunity as well as a challenge for China. He also stressed that military development across the world is synchronizing with other developments, such as global economic growth.

China may have become the world's second-largest economy, but it lags behind many advanced countries and even some of its neighbors when it comes to military development. Thus, it can be said that there is asymmetry in China's comprehensive economic and overall national power. Innovation in the military, therefore, will help safeguard the country's security in the longer run.