China has created three new military units and will update equipment as well as modernizing its command structure, state media said Friday, as part of a major overhaul of the armed forces announced by President Xi Jinping in November.
Xi's push to reform the military coincides with China becoming more assertive in its territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas. China's navy is investing in submarines and aircraft carriers and its air force is developing stealth fighters.
At a ceremony Thursday, Xi inaugurated a new general command unit for the army, a missile force and a strategic support force for People's Liberation Army (PLA), the official Xinhua News Agency said.