He also called for efforts to ensure a high degree of stability, centralization and unity for the armed forces.

Jiang, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC), focused on a number of major issues regarding military affairs, when he addressed Tuesday a plenary meeting of the delegation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to the annual session of the National People 's Congress (NPC).

Also present at the meeting were Vice-President Hu Jintao, who is also vice CMC chairman and member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau Standing Committee, and vice CMC chairmen Zhang Wannian and Chi Haotian.

In his address, the president said to solve the issue of Taiwan and realize complete reunification of the motherland is one of the three major tasks for the Party and the nation in the new century.

Jiang called the PLA the loyal guardian of national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and an important force to safeguard social stability.

He called for closely following the latest developments of military strength in the world, with wide application of new and high technologies, especially information technology, and for planning and implementing the modernization of China's armed forces at a higher altitude.

After its entry to the World Trade Organization, China is expected to further deepen its involvement in international economic cooperation and competition, Jiang said. He called for making use of all kinds of resources and learning useful experience from foreign armies, in order to strengthen the PLA consistently.

In his speech, Jiang reiterated the importance of application of the "Three Represent's" theory in Party Building and praised the PLA for earnestly studying and applying the theory.

Training of personnel is a fundamental task for the modernization of the military, while reform and innovation are the powerful driving force for the development of the armed forces, according to the top leader.

Jiang said that the military is the people's armed forces under the absolute leadership of the Party and must firmly abide by and implement, in an exemplary manner, the Party's theory, line and program, and maintain in high conformity with the Party Central Committee ideologically and politically.

This is the most fundamental requirement of the Party for the armed forces, he stressed.

(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2002)