China planning for future wars, President orders Military to recruit new talent

New Delhi: The latest statement given by China President Xi Jinping may force many nations in the world including India and the US to go for weapons purchase and manufacturing. The Chinese president ordered the military to recruit new talent to support the rapid modernization of the armed forces and win future wars.

Xi who heads the military besides the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Presidency said “Talent holds the key to advancing the high-quality development of the Chinese armed forces, achieving victory in the military competition, and gaining the upper hand in future wars. Strengthening the capabilities to fight and win should be the starting point and ultimate goal of military talent cultivation.”

However, with a whopping USD 209 billion annual military budget, the Chinese military is modernizing rapidly, carrying out organizational reforms and adding new weapon systems including hypersonic weapons.

According to the US military, China recently launched a long-range missile that went around the world, dropped off a hypersonic glide vehicle that had glided back to China, and came close to hitting the target.

Xi Jinping also urged accelerating the building of first-class military schools and training of first-class military personnel. The Hong Kong-based media on Monday reported that the Chinese military has allocated resources for 3 lakh troops for the frontline roles to encourage younger professionals to join the PLA.

Since he took power in 2012, Xi has carried out large-scale-reforms of the military including reducing its size by the PLA to 20 lakh troops from 23 lakh earlier. Xi’s goal is to turn the PLA into a modern fighting force by 2027, the PLA’s centennial, and a world-class military on a par with the United States by 2050.

(_Vinayak)