DESIGNED IN CHINA: Xiaolong, a light fighter aircraft developed in the country, is on display at a China Aviation Museum exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of the PLA Air Force (QIAO TIANFU)

The PLA Air Force has made huge progress in its development over the past six decades, with contributions to the protection of China's sovereignty, safety and territorial integrity, Hu said. But China's national defense and the modernization of its army are facing new situations and tasks.

The air force has also entered a key phase of development, Hu said, urging its members to develop systematic capabilities for both offensive and defensive operations.

China will develop an air force that is capable in both space and air, said Xu. He said during an interview with Xinhua News Agency that China must develop a strong force in space and air to face challenges present during militarization.

"Only power can protect peace," said the 59-year-old Xu. Superiority in space and in air means superiority over the land and the oceans, he said.

Xu said that it is not just the world's major air force powers that are eyeing space and air superiority. Some developing countries are also changing their military strategies to gain ground in the two arenas.

A country without adequate power will have no say when faced with challenges posed by the militarization of space, he said.

The PLA Air Force will improve its early warning detection, air strike, anti-missile air defense and strategic delivery capabilities to effectively protect China's interests and help maintain regional and world peace, Xu said.

An Associated Press report quoted Cheung Tai Ming, an expert on the Chinese military at the University of California, San Diego, as saying that only about 20 percent of PLA Air Force planes are on the same level as those deployed in the West. That ratio is already double what it was five years ago.

Xu, meanwhile, stressed that the PLA Air Force is oriented toward peace.

"The Chinese people are peace-loving, and China is a responsible developing country, which upholds a national defense policy that is defensive in nature," he said.

A powerful PLA Air Force would protect China's sovereignty, safety and territorial integrity, and would play a major part in maintaining regional stability and world peace, he said.

"The PLA Air Force will pose no threat to any other country," Xu said.