China creates 3 new army units to modernize military

In this Dec. 31, 2015 photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, front left, gives a military flag to Wei Fenghe, front center, commander of the Rocket Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and Wang Jiasheng, front right, political commissar of the Rocket Force, in Beijing. China has created three new military bodies as part of reforms to modernize its military—the world’s largest standing force—and improve its fighting capacity. Xinhua via AP

BEIJING, China—China has created three new military bodies as part of reforms to modernize its military—the world’s largest standing force—and improve its fighting capacity.
State television on Saturday showed President Xi Jinping giving military flags to the leaders of the three new units—a general command for the People’s Liberation Army, a missile force and a strategic support force. At the ceremony, which took place Thursday, Xi and PLA officers and soldiers sang the national anthem.