Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has ordered the country's army of 2.3 million to intensify its "real combat" awareness to sustain military readiness.

Xi made the remarks during an inspection conducted from Saturday to Monday at the Guangzhou military theater of operations, a term usually used to emphasize the coordination and joint operations by forces in the air, land and sea, according to a news release issued by military authorities on Wednesday.

Xi also chairs the CPC Central Military Commission, the top decision-making body for China's armed forces.