Chinese military chief makes seasonal visits

BEIJING -- Fan Changlong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), urged People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces to help build a strong military on Friday, during a seasonal visit to officers and soldiers ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Fang Fenghui, head of the newly-established Joint Staff Department under the CMC, and Zhao Keshi, head of the CMC Logistical Support Department, were also present.

While visiting the Army and Strategic Support Force, Fan stressed that personnel must be loyal to the Communist Party of China and the CMC, concentrate on the central task of winning wars, and learn and move on from the corruption cases of Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou, both former vice chairmen of the CMC.

Fan also spoke to troops participating in peace-keeping missions abroad, and military construction staff working in the South China Sea via videos calls.