‘Prepare for war’: President Xi Jinping tells Chinese Army

Chinese President (File photo).

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the military to maintain combat readiness and “prepare for war”, invoking a threat to its national security. He was speaking during at an event at the Central Military Commission’s joint operations command center in Beijing, according to Chinese Communist party mouthpiece. Besides being the president, he now heads the military and the ruling Communist party.

Context

The Chinese President said the world is undergoing more profound changes unseen in a century and stressed that China’s national security is facing increased instability and uncertainty, and its military tasks remain arduous. His speech is significant as it comes at a time when Taiwan is fighting back against China’s claims and military action. It has been speculated that China could “invade” Taiwan, and go on to join the Russian side if the Russia-Ukraine crisis snowballs into World War 3. Claiming Taiwan as its own, China has conducted military drills on islands close to Taiwan. He called on the military to protect national sovereignty, security, and development interests. He asserted that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) must focus on its centennial goal — to become a world-class armed force by 2027, interpreted as an indication of being on par with the US military. “He is sending a message to the United States and Taiwan,” said Willy Lam, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation, according to The Guardian.

‘Devote energy to enhance capability’

Jinping said the entire military, which has a strength of 20 lakh personnel making it the world’s largest, must devote its energy to enhance its capability and win wars, reported the state-owned media Xinhua. “Focus all [your] energy on fighting, work hard on fighting and improve [your] capability to win,” he was quoted as saying. The army must also “resolutely defend national sovereignty and national security” as China was in an “unstable and uncertain” security situation, he reportedly said. After being briefed, Jinping inspected the joint operations command center which provides crucial support to the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Committee. “Always maintain a high readiness posture like arrows on a taut string ready to go, to ensure that the troops are prepared to fight at all times,” Xu, who retired from the top post in the CMC, was quoted as saying by Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

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