PLA to be world-class force by 2050

Congress's map 'very important' to modernize nation's defense

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, told the Chinese military on Thursday to follow the road maps set for it at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"The 19th CPC National Congress ... was very important to the modernization efforts for the national defense and the People's Liberation Army in the new era," Xi told top-ranking officers in his first military meeting after he was reelected chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission on Wednesday.