BEIJING, August 1. /TASS/. China is building a robust national defense and strong army proportionate to the country’s international status and meeting its interests, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has said. He was speaking at a special ceremony on the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army on Sunday, the Communist Party’s daily Renmin Ribao reports.

The ceremony at the National Assembly Building was attended by President Xi Jinping, the leader of China’s Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Council.

Wei underscored "the efforts to build a robust national defense and a strong army, which are expected to provide strategic support for the great revival of the Chinese nation."

"The PLA is the people's armed forces founded by the CPC," Wei recalled. "Over the past 95 years, under the CPC’s firm guidance, the people's armed forces have achieved indelible progress in promoting national independence, liberating the Chinese people, and turning the country into a prosperous and strong power."

The PLA continues to support efforts to protect the national sovereignty and the country’s security and development interests, and also makes significant contributions to the work for world peace and calm, Wei said. He called for "thorough implementation" of Xi's ideas to strengthen the armed forces and accelerate the modernization of the national defense and armed forces.

The Chinese Red Army (now the PLA) was created on August 1, 1927 as a result of the Communist Party-led Nanchang uprising against the Kuomintang regime. At present it is the world's largest army numbering over 2 million officers and men.