BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday urged the military to deepen war and battle planning to increase the chances of victory in actual fighting, Xinhua news agency said, renewing its call for troops to safeguard China’s sovereignty and territory.
Xi said the world has entered a new period of turmoil and change and China’s security situation has become more unstable and uncertain, according to the official Xinhua news agency, in comments he made to troops during of an inspection tour of Eastern Theater Command.
The Eastern Theater Command, headquartered in Jiangsu Province, is responsible for security in eastern China, including the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
Earlier this year, Xi, in comments after securing an unprecedented third presidential term, called on China to strengthen its ability to protect national security and turn its military into a “great wall of steel”.
In Taiwan, the democratically-ruled island that China claims as its own, China must oppose pro-independence and secessionist activities and interference from outside forces, he said at the time.
In particular, China has repeatedly called on US officials not to engage with Taiwanese leaders, seeing this as support for Taiwan’s desire to be seen as separate from China.
Since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August last year, China has held war games around the island and conducted drills and live fire in the region.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. In 2005, he passed a law giving Beijing the legal basis for military action against Taiwan if it secedes or appears to be on the verge of doing so.
Xi’s call for enhanced combat readiness came as US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in Beijing for talks aimed at easing tensions between the United States and China.
“We must persist in thinking about and handling military issues from a political point of view, dare to fight, be good in battle, and resolutely uphold our national sovereignty, security and development interests,” Xi told reporters. Eastern Theater Command.
In April, Xi inspected the Southern Theater Command, headquartered in Guangdong, whose sphere of responsibility includes the South China Sea, much of which is claimed by Beijing.
He also stressed the need for deeper military training and readiness, just as the Chinese navy has increased its confidence with training missions and exercises to counter the expansion of the US maritime presence in the region.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; editing by Jason Neely and Hugh Lawson)