Xi Jinping, 69, was reappointed as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Central Military Commission (CMC) – the overall high command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) – for an unprecedented third five-year term at the party's once-a-five-year Congress last month in Beijing

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As Xi Jinping took command of the military for a record third five-year term, he said that China's national security is facing increased instability and directed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to devote all of its efforts to enhancing capability and maintaining combat readiness to fight and win wars.

Xi, 69, was reappointed as General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Central Military Commission (CMC) – the overall high command of the People's Liberation Army – for an unprecedented third five-year term at the party's once-a-five-year Congress last month in Beijing.

Holding the three powerful posts of party leader, military commander and President, Xi is the only leader, other than party founder Mao Zedong, to remain in power after completing a 10-year term, while all of his predecessors retired.

On Tuesday, Xi visited the CMC's joint operations command centre, which provides critical support to the CPC Central Committee and the CMC's strategic command.

The Chinese leader was briefed upon his arrival at the command centre, according to official media.

In his first address to China's two million-strong military, Xi said the world is undergoing more profound changes than seen in a century and emphasised that China's national security is facing increased instability and uncertainty and its military tasks remain difficult.

He said that the entire military should devote all of its energy to achieving combat readiness, improving its ability to fight and win and effectively carrying out its missions and tasks, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

According to the report, Xi directed them to steadfastly protect national sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as successfully complete various tasks entrusted to them by the party and the people.

He further said that the military leadership must focus on achieving the PLA's centennial goal of becoming a world-class armed force by 2027, which is widely interpreted as putting the PLA on par with the US armed forces.

“We have to do everything we can to make this happen,” he added.

Xi also set “victory in local wars” as a goal during his speech at the party congress last month, telling the PLA to “improve training and preparation for war in all aspects and improve the army's ability to fight and win.”

“We will strengthen the normal and diverse use of military forces, fight military battles with resolve and flexibility, shape the security posture, contain crises and conflicts and win local wars,” he said.

In response to Xi's address to the military, retired Air Force General Xu Qiliang, former vice-chairman of the CMC, said that the PLA must prepare for a rapid transition from peacetime to wartime.

“Always maintain a high readiness posture, like arrows on a taut string ready to go, to ensure that the troops are always prepared to fight,” Xu, who retired from the CMC's top post, was quoted as saying by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.