BEIJING, March 6. /TASS/. China needs to mobilize resources and step up efforts for modernizing its armed forces and bolstering the country’s defense capability, a senior Chinese military commander said at a session of the National People’s Congress (parliament), China’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.

As the Chinese Defense Ministry specified on its WeChat account, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia who spoke at the parliament’s session called for "intensifying military training and raising troop readiness for combat operations."

"It is necessary to strengthen and improve the integrated national strategic system and potential, unite major military and regional forces… rely on the country’s all-embracing might to better promote the modernization of the national defense system and the armed forces," Zhang Youxia stressed.

The senior Chinese military commander highlighted the importance of the accelerated construction of large military facilities and operational planning and the effective use of information and network technologies. As he pointed out, the Chinese armed forces should actively introduce innovations and "enhance the strategic capability" to defend sovereignty, security and the interests of China’s development.

As the 14th National People’s Congress said in a report at the opening of its 2nd session on Tuesday, China will "strengthen and build up the defense mobilization potential." In particular, the Chinese authorities plan to improve the regulatory framework "to optimize defense science, technologies and industry."

Pursuant to the document, the Chinese government is set to boost defense spending by 7.2% in 2024 to 1.6 trillion yuan (about $231 billion). Last year, China also set the task of raising defense appropriations by 7.2% to 1.5 trillion yuan (around $224.85 billion).