Amid tensions with Taiwan, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s new order for the military to train in preparation for a “real war scenario” is seen as the country’s preparation for war and to flaunt its army but also reflects the weakness of China’s Communist Party, The Singapore Post reported citing critics.
Earlier, on November 8, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Beijing will strengthen military training and prepare for any war as the nation’s “security is increasingly unstable and uncertain.”
The Chinese President made the declaration during a visit to the joint operations command centre of the Central Military Commission in Beijing, reported Sky News Australia. China will now comprehensively strengthen its military training and preparation for any war, Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“The entire military should devote all its energy to and carry out all its work for combat readiness, enhance its capability to fight and win,” Xi was quoted as saying by the state-owned media outlet, Xinhua.
“Xi instructed the armed forces to thoroughly study, publicize and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and take concrete actions to further modernize national defence and the military,” the report continued.
The Chinese leader “also instructed them to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and successfully complete various tasks entrusted by the Party and the people,” reported Sky News Australia.
Earlier, in October, China’s Shenzhen ordered all residents to prepare emergency supplies like food and water for 72 hours and a fire blanket. A similar statement was issued last month but it did not attract much attention, according to The Singapore Post.
Shenzhen announced on the same day that Chinese leader Xi Jinping told troops to focus on preparing for war, fueling concerns that Beijing was getting ready for a conflict. Xi Jinping visited marine troops stationed in Chaozhou city, about 220 miles away from Shenzhen and Guangdong province and told them “to put all your thoughts and energies on preparing a war, and remain on high alert.” Shenzhen and Chaozhou are both located to the west of Taiwan.
The Chinese regime considers Taiwan a part of its territory, despite the island being a de facto nation-state with its own democratically elected government, military, and currency. Beijing has threatened military force to bring the island under its fold.
The inspection coincided with an aggressive display at its annual air show. It publicly displayed its most advanced fighter jet for the first time and unveiled a new hypersonic missile designed to target the U.S. forces. Also on display was the regime’s most advanced aircraft, the J-20 stealth fighter. Little is known about the J-20 other than that it appears to be a clone of the American F-35, likely made with stolen design technologies.
The regime also used the air show to publicly unveil its latest weapon, an export version of the YJ-21 hypersonic missile. The YJ-21, commonly referred to as the Eagle Strike 21, has a combat range of more than 1,200 miles and can fly at speeds exceeding Mach 12. The system, dubbed a “carrier killer”, appears designed to target U.S. aircraft carriers operating in the Indo-Pacific.