1st Ld-Writethru: Xi urges greater military-civilian cooperation for strong army

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for greater cooperation between the military and civilian sectors to contribute more to the dream of building stronger armed forces.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks when visiting an exhibition featuring the fruits of innovative military-civilian cooperation projects.

"Military-civilian cooperation, as a national strategy, is crucial to national security and the bigger picture of development," Xi said, adding that it plays into building a prosperous nation and stronger armed forces.

Recognizing the achievements of military-civilian cooperation, Xi said institutional reforms and innovation should continue, adding that substantial efforts should be made to promote military-civilian cooperation from both the demand and supply side and in the aspects of management, operation and policy making.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli also visited the exhibition.

The exhibition, at the Academy of Armored Forces Engineering of People's Liberation Army, Beijing, profiled the achievements of military and civilian cooperation since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

Exhibits include real items, models and videos featuring processes and technology such as the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, hybrid power stations, cloud data encryption technology, and large-scale 3D printers with independent intellectual property rights, unmanned planes and vessels. Endi