BEIJING -- When extremely heavy rainstorms devastated Central China in July, it was hard not to notice the troops of the People's Liberation Army on dams, reservoirs and riverbanks -- the most dangerous areas in the battle against floods.

They rushed to the forefront answering the Party's call, fixed dam breaches, evacuated residents in danger, and blasted barriers to release floodwater. The Party's flag flew over the field, and banners on their trucks read "People First, Life First."

This provides a glimpse of how the PLA is fulfilling duties in the new era.

A strong country must have a strong military, as only then can it guarantee the security of the nation, said President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Over the past few years, the PLA is redoubling the efforts to build a peace-loving world-class military that obeys the Party's command, can fight and win, and maintains excellent conduct.

In his latest speech, Xi reiterated that the Party must command the gun.

Firmly following the Party's leadership is the fundamental reason why the PLA triumphed over all kinds of trials and tribulations, and advanced from victory to victory, according to Xi.