appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Eduardo Baptista

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a greater focus on national defence and the military in a speech given on the eve of an important military anniversary and as the nation faces a growing range of security risks.﻿
After giving a spirited speech on the achievements of China’s Communist Party during its centennial celebrations earlier this month, Xi said on Friday: “On the path of completely building a modern socialist country and realising the second centennial goal, national defence and the military must be placed in a more important position, and the consolidation of national defence and a strong military must be accelerated.
“We must persist in strengthening the overall planning of war and make preparations for military struggle.”
Xi’s comments on the military’s development were made two days before the PLA’s 94th anniversary and come at a time when China is facing heightened security risks.
Chinese army faces persistent problems in weapons innovation, US study finds
On China’s western borders, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has led to a resurgence of the Taliban and instability in the region, which Beijing fears could give Uygur separatists a base from which to conduct attacks in the Xinjiang region.
To the east, tensions are growing as the US and its allies conduct more naval operations on waters China claims as its own.
On Friday, US Marine Corps jets were pictured on the British aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. Earlier this month, Beijing criticised the US for landing a military plane on Taiwan and Japan for releasing a defence white paper that expressed alarm at China’s increased military activities around the self-ruled island.
Xi did not mention any country besides China during the Politburo group study session on Friday, according to the report from state news agency Xinhua.


However, he did give specific indications about where the military needed to focus its energies and emphasised the need for technological development.
“It is necessary to promote high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, accelerate research on key core technologies, accelerate the development of strategic, cutting-edge and disruptive technologies,” Xi said.
Reports on Politburo study sessions are often used a “platform … to convey preferences and priorities to lower-level officials and the general Chinese public”, according to an article by Brian Hart, an associate fellow with the China Power Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
The 25-member Politburo is the party’s most powerful body and conducts around eight group study sessions a year. Hart’s article, published by the Jamestown Foundation think tank, also noted that Xi had held more than twice the number of study sessions focused on military and security affairs than his predecessor Hu Jintao did.
Why China’s Communist Party maintains a tight grip on the military
In a separate article for the party journal Qiushi, Xi also ordered the army to be “absolutely loyal” to the party. He also argued that the party’s absolute leadership was one of the Chinese military’s advantages.
Since taking over as president and head of the Central Military Commission eight years ago, Xi has consistently pushed the PLA to be prepared for war. He also initiated a massive overhaul of the PLA in 2015 to modernise the Chinese military.
Xi’s priorities were made clear on Friday when he called on the “entire party and entire country” to work to realise the military’s long-term goals. The military’s needs would have to be considered when laying out plans for societal and economic development, Xi said.


“It is necessary to … rigidly implement national defence requirements in the construction of major infrastructure and provide strong support to construction projects for combat readiness training.”
Xi had earlier ordered the Chinese military to increase the use of technology in its training and exercises, including computer simulations.


Could China’s sixth-generation fighter carry a laser to defend against incoming missiles?

China, US may unveil measures to boost military ties when Xi visits Washington

Dong Jun takes softer line on US at Xiangshan Forum as Xi prepares for Trump summit

Fragility and cooperation: takeaways from Dong Jun’s Xiangshan Forum speech

China’s military

Chinese President Xi Jinping calls for greater focus on military development

Xi Jinping has overseen a drive to modernise the Chinese military. Photo: AP

What message was Xi Jinping trying to send on his visit to Tibet?

Xi Jinping, during his visit to the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa. Photo: Xinhua

A man holds a girl as they pose for a photo in front of a large mural depicting Chinese President Xi Jinping, bottom center, and other Chinese leaders at a public square at the base of the Potala Palace in Lhasa in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region on June 1, 2021. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has made a rare visit to Tibet as authorities tighten controls over the Himalayan region’s traditional Buddhist culture, accompanied by an accelerated drive for economic development and modernized infrastructure. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

(210723) -- LHASA, July 23, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, waves to tourists and local residents while inspecting the Potala Palace square in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 22, 2021. Xi visited the Tibet Autonomous Region from Wednesday to Friday. He extended congratulations to the 70th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation and visited officials and ordinary people of various ethnic groups. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Xi Jinping asks: why do Chinese officials lack initiative and wait for orders from the top?

Images of Xi Jinping and other senior officials are beamed to the audience at a gala show ahead of the Communist Party’s centenary celebrations. Photo: AP

News

China

Military


Xi tells Politburo study session that country needs to ‘make preparations for military struggle’
Comments come ahead of an important PLA anniversary and at a time when China is facing a growing security threat on its border with Afghanistan



Comments come ahead of an important PLA anniversary and at a time when China is facing a growing security threat on its border with Afghanistan.


China military reform

Xi Jinping