Chinese President Xi Jinping told the country's armed forces to improve its war-winning capability and strengthen real combat training in a speech on Wednesday.

He ordered all levels of military to follow the guidance of 'enhancing military training and war preparing'.

The 64-year-old, widely considered the most powerful Communist leader since Mao Zedong, also instructed his military that they should not fear hardship or death, according to a report on China's state broadcaster CCTV.

Thousands of soldiers stood in formation at a mobilisation meeting in Baoding, Hebei Province, as Xi issued the commands.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also the chairman of China's Central Military Commission, is pictured issuing the order at a mobilisation meeting yesterday in Baoding, Hebei Province

Thousands of armed soldiers are pictured vowing to serve their country after the speech

Apart from being the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi is the chairman of the Central Military Commission, which controls the country's armed forces.

Xi is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China.

According to China's state news agency Xinhua, this was the first time the Central Military Commission of China had held a mobilisation meeting for the whole armed forces.

Xi started delivering the speech at 10am wearing a military uniform.

He was at the main venue of the mobilisation meeting, reported to be the shooting range of a unit of China's land forces. He attended the meeting accompanied by senior Communist officials.

More than 7,000 armed officers and soldiers listened to the speech in cold weather, as rows of military tanks were parked around them.

Xi's two-minute-long speech was also broadcast live to over 4,000 branch venues for soldiers across China to follow.

The branch venues covered China's land, navy and air forces as well as the Rocket Force, which was formed on January 1, 2016, to manage the 2,500 ballistic missiles China claims to own.

Military personnel start training after Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered the speech

In yesterday's speech, Xi urged his soldiers to enhance military training focussed on combat readiness and strengthen joint military training. He said Chinese soldiers should be ready to be ordered to fight at anytime.

He also called for military training and fighting competitions for the general public.

The armed forces should master the skills of 'being able to fight and being able to win', said Xi.

Xinhua reported that Xi reviewed assembly of soldiers on the site and training of troops via televised devices after the meeting.

Xi Jinping has been considered by many to be the most powerful and influential Communist leader since Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China who passed away in 1976.

China's ruling Communist Party enshrined President Xi Jinping's political thought into its constitution during the 19th National Congress in Beijing in October last year.

No other leader since Mao has had an eponymous ideology included in the Constitution of the Communist Party of China while in office until Xi.