NEW DELHI, Nov 9: Taking charge of the army for the record third consecutive five-year term, the Chinese president Xi Jinping has asked the People’s Liberation Army to ever remain combat-prepared and win the wars sounding caution to its neighbours. He has called on the Chinese military to “enhance troop training and combat preparedness” in his first visit to the military’s joint operations command headquarters in his third term.
In his address to the two million-strong military — the largest in the world, Xi said the world was undergoing more profound changes unseen in a century and stressed that China’s national security is facing increased instability and uncertainty, and its military tasks remain arduous.
“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, and effectively fulfil its missions and tasks in the new era,” said Mr. Xi, who in October began a third five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party. Mr. Xi, at last month’s Party Congress was also appointed chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) for another term.
Holding the three powerful posts of the head of the party, the military, and the Presidency, Xi is the only leader besides the party founder Mao Zedong to continue in power after completing 10-year tenure, while all his predecessors retired.
Mr. Xi on Tuesday made his first visit in the new term to the joint operations command centre of the CMC. He said the world was “undergoing more profound changes unseen in a century” and “stressed that China’s national security is facing increased instability and uncertainty, and its military tasks remain arduous.”
Mr. Xi “instructed the military leadership to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests” and successfully complete various tasks entrusted by the party and the people. He said the military leadership must focus on realising the PLA’s centennial goal – to make the PLA a world-class armed force by 2027, which is broadly interpreted as making it on par with the US armed forces. “We must do all we can to make this happen,” he said.
Accompanying Mr. Xi was the new CMC leadership, which saw a reshuffle at the congress, where three Generals who have occupied key roles leading the Army in the Western Theatre Command, which borders India, received significant promotions to the CMC and the Party Central Committee. General He Weidong (65) was named the new Vice-Chairman of the CMC. General Zhang Youxia (72), a close associate of Mr. Xi, was confirmed for another term as Vice-Chairman.
General He served as the Army (ground forces) commander of the WTC from 2016 until 2019, a period spanning the 2017 Doklam crisis. He later headed the Eastern Theatre Command, which is responsible for Taiwan. Also promoted was General Xu Qiling (60), who has been appointed as one of 205 members of the Party’s new Central Committee. He succeeded General He as WTC Army Commander in 2020 and was subsequently moved to the CMC’s Joint Staff department. Current head of the WTC, General Wang Haijiang (59), was also appointed to the Central Committee.
Commenting on Xi’s address to the military, retired Air Force General Xu Qiling, who was the former vice-chairman of the CMC, said in a commentary that the PLA must prepare for a rapid transformation from peace to wartime. “Always maintain a high readiness posture like arrows on a taut string ready to go, to ensure that the troops are prepared to fight at all times,” he said.
(Manas Dasgupta)