ChinesePresidentXiJinping,alsogeneralsecretaryoftheCommunistPartyofChinaCentralCommitteeandchairmanoftheCentralMilitaryCommission,speakswhenattendingaplenarymeetingofthedelegationofthePeople'sLiberationArmyandPeople'sArmedPoliceForceatthefourthsessionofthe13thNationalPeople'sCongress(NPC)inBeijing,capitalofChina,March9,2021.(Xinhua/LiGang)BEIJING,March9(Xinhua)--PresidentXiJinpingTuesdaystressedachievingagoodstartinstrengtheningnationaldefenseandthearmedforcesduringthe14thFive-YearPlan(2021-2025)period.Xi,alsogeneralsecretaryoftheCommunistPartyofChinaCentralCommitteeandchairmanoftheCentralMilitaryCommission,madetheremarkswhileattendingaplenarymeetingofthedelegationofthePeople'sLiberationArmyandPeople'sArmedPoliceForce,atthefourthsessionofthe13thNationalPeople'sCongress,thetoplegislature.Addressingthemeeting,Xipraisedthewholearmedforcesforachievingthetargetsandmissionsfor2020amidtheCOVID-19epidemicandcomplexdomesticandinternationalcircumstances.Layingdownrequirementsforensuringthegoodstartinthemilitarydevelopmentforthenextfiveyears,Xisaiddevelopmentofthearmedforcesmustfocusoncombatreadiness.Xidemandedeffortstostepupbuildinghigh-caliberstrategicdeterrenceandjointoperationsystems.Underlininginnovation-drivenmilitarydevelopment,Xicalledforintensifiedeffortsandmoreconcretemeasuresinthepursuitofindependentinnovationinscienceandtechnology,tofullyleveragetheroleofscienceandtechnologyasthestrategicsupportformilitarydevelopment.Innovationindefense-relatedscienceandtechnologymustbesignificantlyboosted,hesaid.Highlightingthe"instabilities"and"uncertainties"inChina'scurrentsecuritycircumstances,Xisaidthewholearmedforcesmustalwaysbereadytorespondtoallkindsofcomplexanddifficultsituations,resolutelysafeguardnationalsovereignty,security,anddevelopmentinterests,andprovidestrongsupportforfullybuildingamodernsocialistcountry.