CHANGCHUN, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the Aviation University of the Air Force in the northeastern province of Jilin on Thursday, in the run-up to China's Army Day.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), stressed further reform and innovation, as well as continuous efforts to improve teaching.

On behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC, Xi extended Army Day greetings to the personnel of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the Armed Police Force, the militia, and the reserve force. China's Army Day falls on Aug. 1.

After a visit to the university's aviation museum, he went on to watch a training course of student pilots and talked with them.

At the university's laboratory for drone technology, Xi inspected teaching facilities for drone operating systems and learned about the training of drone operators.

He said with the emergence of a large number of drones of different kinds, unmanned combat has brought about profound changes in warfare.

Xi stressed strengthening research into unmanned combat, enhancing drone education as a discipline, stepping up training in real combat conditions, and cultivating professionals who can use drones and take command in such warfare.

He stressed the need to transform the strategy of "strengthening the military through talent cultivation" into development plans and practical measures.

Highlighting the strong connection between military education and the battlefield, Xi demanded the bolstering of research on modern warfare, especially modern air combat, and upgrading education and training as a whole.

He stressed the need to keep up with the global trends of a new military revolution, be better prepared for emerging fields, conduct work in frontier disciplines and the training of new types of talent, while accelerating the incubation and generation of new combat capabilities.

Xi also spoke of the need to adhere to the correct political orientation in every aspect of school work.