Soldiers prepare for a military parade to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) at Zhurihe military training base in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Sunday. Xi, who commands the People's Liberation Army as chairman of the Central Military Commission, has frequently spoken of his "China Dream" to restore China to a leadership position in international affairs with a modern, far-reaching military force to match. "We need to build a strong people's military more than any other time in history," Xi said as he inspected troops, armoured vehicles, missiles and aircraft, hailing each formation by shouting "Comrades, you've worked hard!" The parade was blanketed by state media coverage and streamed for foreign audiences on YouTube, which is blocked inside China. Xi has been similarly emboldened on the domestic front as he took on powerful figures within the influential military establishment.

Source: Bangkok Post July 30, 2017 17:03 UTC