On July 31, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a "study" session of the Politburo. Speaking at the session, he said that the “modernization of national defense and armed forces must be in step with the country’s modernization process, and the military capabilities must fit national strategic needs.” He added: “In this year, China will achieve the targets and missions of strengthening the national defense and armed forces for 2020, and embark on a new journey to basically complete the modernization of the national defense and armed forces, and to transform the Chinese military into world-class forces.” 

Xinhua (August 1) separately reported that Xi Jinping had noted that the world today is undergoing profound and fast-evolving changes unseen in a century and that the COVID-19 pandemic is exerting a far-reaching influence on the international landscape. He said China's security situation faces growing uncertainties and destabilizing factors and called for a stronger sense of mission and urgency and more efforts to achieve leapfrog development in the modernization of the Chinese military. Xi Jinping underscored implementing the military strategic guideline for the new era, formulating the 14th five-year (2021-2025) plan for building the military, drawing a scientific road map, and cultivating a new type of high-calibre and professional military talent. Xinhua said that stressing joint civil-military efforts in advancing the modernization of national defense and armed forces, Xi Jinping called on central Party and state institutions, as well as Party committees and governments at all local levels, to strengthen their awareness of national defense and carry forward the development of national defense and the armed forces. Xinhua added that the 14th five-year plan will focus on “building the military, drawing a scientific road map, and cultivating a new type of high-calibre and professional military talent."