LANZHOU - Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited troops stationed in northwest China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, extending festival greetings to the military.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, inspected an air force base, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and the Lanzhou Military Area Command on Feb 2 and 4.

Xi Jinping (C), general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission (CMC), talks with technical personnel and army members at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Feb 2, 2013. Xi Jinping visited troops stationed in the nation's northwest ahead of the Lunar New Year, extending festival greetings and stressing frugality in the army. [Photo/Xinhua]

He stressed national defense efforts, urging the military to enhance its combat preparedness and constantly improve its ability to fulfill missions and tasks.

At the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Xi presented flowers at a monument dedicated to Marshal Nie Rongzhen and others who dedicated themselves to developing China's space technology.

Nie headed research on the country's first atomic bomb and satellite in the 1950s and 1960s.

Xi encouraged technological workers to pursue excellence and carry forward the spirit of the country's older generations of scientists.

At the Lanzhou Military Area Command, Xi affirmed the military's role in safeguarding northwest China, as well as maintaining state security and promoting regional stability.

The leader also stressed frugality and ordered the troops to refrain from extravagance.

Soldiers and officers in far-flung areas should be given more material and financial resources, Xi said, adding that unity between the army and the local government, as well as ethnic unity, should be strengthened.