Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with representatives from model organizations and individuals who were in Beijing to receive awards for promoting military-civilian solidarity, as reported today. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, expressed sincere greetings and warm congratulations to the award-receiving role models.
On Tuesday morning, Xi and other leaders met with the representatives and had group photos taken with them in Jingxi Hotel, western Beijing.
Xi meets role models
Local authorities and related departments have actively provided support and services for the development and reform of the armed forces, and further improved the provision of benefits to entitled groups while the armed forces have always been in the vanguard of major natural disaster relief and emergency response, said Li.
Facing this year’s COVID-19 epidemic, the armed forces and civilians have worked side by side in securing major strategic achievements in the country’s fight against COVID-19, demonstrating the great power of military-civilian solidarity, he added.
The Chinese premier called on all localities and departments to support strengthening national defense and the armed forces and continue to help military personnel and their families overcome difficulties that they face.
Noting that it is more difficult to stabilize employment this year than in previous years, Li demanded efforts to provide veterans with more targeted and timely services to help them find jobs, start their own businesses or get vocational training. Fiscal spending on military personnel’s benefits and services must be ensured, Li said, calling for more efforts to break new ground in promoting military-civilian solidarity.
The conference announced a list of 411 national-level model cities and counties and decisions to commend outstanding organizations and individuals in promoting mutual support between the military and civilian sectors.
Xi urges renewed efforts in boosting military-civilian solidarity
Four years ago, President Xi Jinping called for renewed efforts to boost solidarity between the military, government and the public, when meeting with award-receiving role models.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), met with representatives from model organizations and individuals who were there to receive awards for promoting military-civilian solidarity. Premier Li Keqiang also met with the representatives.
Calling for relentless efforts to maintain military-civilian solidarity, Xi called on the military and civilian sectors to be like-minded and work in synergy, which would help the country realize the great rejuvenation of the nation.
Xi said the tradition of boosting military-civilian solidarity was a characteristic of the CPC, the military and the people of China. The seamless solidarity between the military, government and public is an important guarantee for China to weather storms and march from triumph to triumph, Xi said.
Noting the world is undergoing profound changes, Xi called for constant improvement and keeping up with the times. “The work to boost military-civilian solidarity should play its role as bridge and bond,” Xi said. Calling the ongoing national defense and military reform “across-the-board” and “revolutionary,” Xi said it commanded support from all sectors.
Finally, Xi called for solid content and diversified forms of the work to promote military-civilian unity, in order to support the Party and state work, as well as the construction of national defense and armed forces.
Premier calls for setting up military civilian coordination mechanisms
While addressing the award ceremony, Premier Li Keqiang called for setting up military-civilian coordination mechanisms for services in peacetime and supporting the front in wartime. He underscored the allocation of priority to use of land for military purposes and construction of roads for national defense needs, while improving support facilities for war readiness and medical uses, as well as public services.
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Inter alia, Li ordered special measures and policies to ensure demobilized soldiers are offered jobs, saying that Party and government agencies, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and public institutions, especially centrally-administered SOEs, should employ more demobilized soldiers. He believed that demobilized soldiers who start their own businesses or engage in innovation should be given support. Accordingly, Xi stressed upon the need to improve the welfare for the disabled and families of the deceased, as well as a guarantee that retired military cadres receive proper benefits.