Beijing, China - China's President Xi Jinping said he wants to turn his country's military into a "great wall of steel" as he spoke on the last day of this year's session of the People's Congress.

"We should comprehensively promote the modernization of national defense and military construction, and build the people’s army into a great wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests," Xi said.

The congress this year approved a 7.2% increase in military spending.

Elsewhere in his speech, Xi – whose unprecedented third term as president was confirmed last Friday – addressed Beijing's plans for "unification" with Taiwan. He struck a comparatively cautious tone, though, and did not repeat earlier statements that Beijing would not rule out the use of military force.

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"We should implement the party's overall strategy for resolving the Taiwan issue in the new era, adhere to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, actively promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, resolutely oppose the interference of external forces and the secessionist activities of 'Taiwan independence,' and unswervingly push forward the unification process of the motherland," the leader told the nearly 3,000 delegates in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Self-governing democratic Taiwan, which has never been part of the People's Republic of China, has had an independent government since 1949, but Beijing considers the island of some 23 million inhabitants a renegade part of its territory.

Its relationship with the US has been a major part of recent escalation in tensions and rhetoric between the two rival powers.