Chinese President Xi Jinping tells military to “dare to fight”

Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 6 called on the country's military to strengthen battle planning to increase the chances of victory in actual combat, state news agency Xinhua reported.

“At present, the world has entered a new era of chaos and change, and our country's security situation is becoming more and more unstable and uncertain,” state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as telling troops during an inspection tour of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command.

The Eastern Theater Command, headquartered in Jiangsu province, is responsible for the security of eastern China, including the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

Footage broadcast by CCTV on the evening of July 6 showed Mr Xi in a khaki military shirt entering a room of military officials to thunderous applause before making his comments in a speech from the podium.

“We must persistently think about and handle military issues from a political perspective, dare to fight, be good at fighting, and resolutely safeguard our national sovereignty, security and development interests,” Xi told the Eastern Theater Command.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks during an inspection tour of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), July 6, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Xi Jinping's call for increased combat readiness came as US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was in Beijing for talks aimed at easing tensions between the US and China.

Taiwan has always been the “most pressing” issue in US-China relations. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, and has said it will not rule out the use of force to unify it. Washington has long maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on the Taiwan issue, but is the island’s main arms supplier.

In April, Chinese forces conducted three days of drills simulating a blockade of the island after US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen in California.

Yellen's visit comes after another top US official, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressed concerns about China's actions toward Taiwan during a visit to Beijing last month - the first visit to China by a US secretary of state in nearly five years.

But China has dismissed the comments, with top diplomat Wang Yi saying there was “no room for compromise” on the issue .

Minh Duc (According to Reuters, AFP/Al Arabiya)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/chu-tich-trung-quoc-tap-can-binh-yeu-cau-quan-doi-phai-dam-chien-dau-a616050.html