President Xi Jinping on Thursday inspected an aviation division of the People's Liberation Army Air Force stationed in Guizhou province.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended New Year's greetings to all airmen and officers of the PLA, People's Armed Police Force, civilian personnel in the military, militia and reserve forces, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC. Lunar New Year, the start of Spring Festival, is on Friday.

During the inspection, Xi visited a PLA hospital to learn about the troops' COVID-19 response as well as their support for local epidemic control.

Hailing the armed forces' contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi warned of the increased risk of spreading the virus during the upcoming holiday, which is expected to see more trips and gatherings.

He asked the military to be ready to support local authorities in fighting the pandemic to consolidate and develop China's sound momentum in COVID-19 response.

While inspecting a special aircraft designed for information warfare, Xi stressed the need to speed up the development of advanced equipment and cultivation of professionals, strengthen targeted and force-on-force training and accelerate the upgrading of new combat capabilities.

Learning about the education and training of airmen and officers, Xi demanded strengthened military training under combat conditions to continuously improve the capability to win wars.

Xi also inspected cultural and recreational preparations for Spring Festival.

He called on the military to resolutely implement the decisions and instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC, follow regular epidemic prevention and control measures and comprehensively advance military training and war preparedness so as to mark the CPC centenary with outstanding achievements.

XINHUA