President Xi promulgates Chinese military's code of conduct, focusing on combat readiness

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday promulgated orders to revise the military’s code of conduct with a focus on combat readiness.

The updated rules aim to address the army’s concerns, emphasize the combat readiness of the armed forces, and focus on “fully transforming the country's military into world-class armed forces,” according to state-run Xinhua News.

The revisions include promoting standardized practices in war preparation, training, operations, and daily life.

The new version of the regulations will go into effect on April 1.

China's military is among the world's top recruiters, with nearly two million personnel and its defense spending last year close to $474 billion, according to War on the Rocks, a platform for analysis on strategy, defense, and foreign affairs.

The code of conduct focuses on rewarding excellence, penalizing violations, and smoothing procedures.

It also altered rules on military formation covering comprehensive codes for practices and parades across land, sea, docks, and air.

The changes also address soldiers' appearance and conduct, leave-taking, and military training, the report added.