BEIJING: China has created a new People’s Liberation Army unit to manage and enlarge its missile and nuclear strike capabilities.“It will enhance nuclear deterrence and counter-strike capacity, medium-and longrange precision strike ability as well as strategic check-andbalance capacity to build a strong and modern rocket force,” president Xi Jinping said while inaugurating the new unit, which takes over from the second artillery corps that controlled the country’s nuclear arsenal. It will have the same commander, Wei Fenghe. Official broadcaster CCTV showed the president handing over a large red flag to Li Zuocheng, the new head of the land command force, at a ceremony. Li was previously commander of the key Chengdu military region, which includes restless and strategically vital Tibet.China had earlier announced it was building a second aircraft carrier to bolster its navy that has been trying to gain access to the Indian Ocean by developing close ties with Sri Lanka and Myanmar.In a separate report, the country’s central military commission said the recent move to cut troop strength would help China focus on non-combat personnel.