BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, urged efforts to strengthen political guidance and deepen innovation-driven development to advance the high-quality modernization of national defense and the armed forces.

Xi made the remarks when presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Thursday.

Xi urged efforts to fulfill the goals for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2027 and make "decisive progress" in basically realizing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.

This, he said, will provide strong strategic support for advancing the cause of building a great country and achieving national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.

The study session was held ahead of the PLA's founding anniversary on Aug. 1. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, Xi extended festival greetings to all members of the PLA and the People's Armed Police Force, civilian personnel of the PLA, and members of the reserve forces and the militia.

Sun Zheng, from the strategic planning office of the Central Military Commission, delivered a lecture on promoting the high-quality modernization of national defense and the armed forces, and put forward suggestions.

Combat capabilities remain the ultimate objective and testing criterion for promoting the high-quality modernization of national defense and the armed forces, Xi said. He called for enhancing military application of unmanned intelligent technologies and advancing the development and application of the network information system to gradually establish an intelligent military system.

It is vital to strengthen the systematic integration of combat capabilities, conduct rigorous combat-oriented test and evaluation, and bolster military training and combat readiness, thereby effectively safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, he said.

Xi noted that the PLA has become a much more modern and capable fighting force since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, making historic achievements and undergoing historic transformations in the cause of building a strong military.

It is imperative to uphold and strengthen the Party's absolute leadership over the armed forces and fully implement the policy of enhancing political loyalty in the military in the new era, he said.

Xi also urged efforts to continue the fight against corruption, improve the supervision system for major projects, and ensure that all initiatives are underpinned by quality, capability and integrity.