PLA ready to guard sovereignty
Army ready to fight any secessionist attempt, says minister
BEIJING: The Chinese army will step up its pace of improving its joint combat capabilities and “stand ready to fight and win at any time”, State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan said.
Speaking about the cross-Straits situation, Chang said yesterday the People’s Liberation Army is “confident, capable and fully prepared to resolutely safeguard State sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Chang made the remarks during a speech at a grand reception marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, which fell yesterday.
President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee as well as chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the reception along with other party and state leaders.
The PLA has come a long way since its birth during the armed uprising in the city of Nanchang on Aug 1, 1927, when it had only 20,000 soldiers.
Xi oversaw and addressed a grand military parade on Sunday marking the 90th anniversary at the Zhurihe Training Base in North China’s Inner Mongolia region.
Yesterday morning, Xi attended a grand ceremony in Beijing commemorating the 90th anniversary and delivered a speech.
Led by Xi, the PLA has been advancing reform, technological upgrades, boosting training and combat readiness, Chang said.
Through this, it has achieved thorough restructuring and greatly enhanced its combat effectiveness, he added.
The military will press ahead with reforms and staunchly focus on winning in combat and training for readiness, Chang said.
Speaking of the cross-Straits situation, Chang said adherence to the 1992 Consensus and opposition to Taiwan independence constitute the political foundation of peace and development of cross-Straits relations.
Any form of secessionist attempt by anyone at any time would surely be opposed by the whole Chinese people and nation, he added.
Noting the Chinese military’s role as a contributor to world peace, he said the PLA facilitates global development and supports international order.
As of June, the Chinese military had participated in 24 UN peacekeeping missions, sending 31,000 personnel, 13 of whom lost their lives on duty. — China Daily/Asia News Network