Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Saturday the study of military sciences is vital to improving national defense and modernizing the Chinese army.
Jiang, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, spoke Saturday to deputies of the Military Academy of Sciences attending the academy's fifth congress of the Communist Party of China.
"Advanced military theories are important conditions for guiding a healthy development in the construction of the army and for winning victories in military strikes," said Jiang, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.
Jiang spoke highly of the achievements the academy has made in basic research of military sciences and applied research.
He urged the deputies to improve understanding of military scientific research work, intensify leadership over the work, stepup scientific research on major issues related to national defenseand modernization of the army, produce more high-quality scientific research achievements and train more high-quality scientific research personnel.
The fifth Party congress of the Military Academy of Sciences was opened on December 4, with 240 deputies in attendance.
The congress summed up the Party-building work carried out in the academy and its achievements in military scientific research in the past years, and laid out the academy's goals for the next five years.