BEIJING, Sept. 1 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday extended congratulations to faculty, students, and alumni of National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) as the university marks its 70th anniversary.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), sent a congratulatory letter to the university.

In the letter, Xi acknowledged the great contribution made by the university over the past seven decades to the development of national defense and the armed forces, stressing that the university has nurtured excellent graduates, achieved cutting-edge scientific and technological breakthroughs and made progress in researching and developing weaponry and equipment.

Xi expressed the hope that the university will fully implement military education policies for the new era, cultivate high-caliber professional military personnel, step up innovation in defense sciences and technologies, and strive to play an important role in strengthening the military through science and technology and personnel training.

Zhang Youxia, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice chairman of the CMC, read out Xi's letter at a meeting marking the anniversary in Changsha, capital city of central China's Hunan Province, on Friday.

It is imperative to study and put into practice the guiding principles of Xi's instructions, said Zhang, urging the NUDT to further improve the education quality and capacity for scientific and technological innovation, and strive to build the university into a world-class institution of higher education.