Didn't have complete control over army: China's ruling party

The high-profile Plenum of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held last week adopted the "landmark resolution" which also hailed the country's military

In a rare admission, China's ruling Communist Party has acknowledged that its leadership over the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was lacking for a while and if it had not been solved it would not only have diminished the military's combat capacity, but also undermined the key political principle that the “Party commands the gun”.

The high-profile Plenum of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held last week adopted the “landmark resolution” of its major achievements in the last 100 years besides clearing the decks for a record third term for 68-year-old President Xi Jinping.

The resolution also hailed the country's military for conducting “major operations” on border defence, in a veiled reference to the protracted border standoff with India in eastern Ladakh.

The full text of the resolution released by the CPC on Tuesday night has listed Xi's contributions in bringing revolutionary changes in the military to make the two million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA) a fit and fighting force. After Xi took over power, China's defence budget rose steadily, crossing over $ 200 billion this year.