On January 3, 2018 Xi Jinping addressed via video 7000 PLA personnel at the Baoding Training Centre in Hebei Province and PLA troops at another 4000 bases across the country. Wearing camouflage battle fatigues, Xi Jinping In his 3 minute speech, asked the PLA to prepare for war and not fear fighting. China Daily quoted him as saying "The Chinese military should modernize its buildup and management and focus on becoming an elite fighting force that uses digital technologies".

China Daily disclosed that after the 'mobilization' meeting Xi Jinping inspected a division that fought the U.S. in the Korean War. It said Xi Jinping viewed pictures of the division's intense battle near the Kaechon region in the Korean Peninsula during the "War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea," aka the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953. He praised the soldiers who fought in it for their valor. He said "Our military has always fought with great spirit. In the past, we had more spirit than steel. Now we have plenty of equipment, so we need an even tougher and stronger spirit to wield it."