China’s President Xi Jinping calls for military growth amid tension with US

President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of China’s ruling Communist Party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that have strained relations with Washington and tightened the ruling Communist Party’s control over society and the economy.

China’s most influential figure in decades spoke as the party opened a congress that is being closely watched by companies, governments and the Chinese public for signs of its economic and political direction.