The Chinese People's Liberation Army marked its 93rd founding anniversary on Saturday.

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has emphasized strengthening the country's military on many occasions.

The following are some highlights of his quotes.

— We are closer than ever to realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and we need to build a strong military more than ever in history.

— Without a strong military, peace and development can not be guaranteed.

— The Party's goal for developing the military under the new circumstances is to build people's armed forces that faithfully follow the Party's commands, are able to win battles and have fine conduct.

— A military is built to fight. Our military must regard combat capability as the criterion to meet in all its work and focus on how to win when it is called on.

— A military that has the ability to fight can deter war.

— The Party's absolute leadership over the military is a defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

— The Chinese people cherish peace. We will not engage in aggression or expansion. But we are confident that we will defeat any aggressor.