Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to strengthen its military application of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of efforts to develop an intelligent military system. Speaking at a Politburo group study session, Xi emphasized the need to “strengthen the military application of unmanned intelligent technologies, deepen the development and application of network information systems, and gradually build an intelligent military system,” according to state news agency Xinhua.

Xi’s remarks came ahead of the PLA’s 99th anniversary on Saturday, July 31, 2026, reflecting the leadership’s focus on progressing toward the PLA’s centenary modernization goals. While the specific goals have not been explicitly stated, the PLA has previously called for better integration of emerging technologies such as AI.

China aims for its military to become a world-class force by 2049 and to “basically achieve” the modernization of national defense and armed forces by 2035. During the meeting on Thursday, July 30, 2026, Xi highlighted the importance of meeting these centenary goals on time and noted that the PLA had made “significant progress” in modernizing and becoming combat-ready since 2012.

Sources