Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the army to focus on its military might and achieve its goals by 2027, the year marking the centennial of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
According to a report, Xi, speaking at the 20th CPC National Congress, has asked the military to complete its missions and build the military into a world-class force, reported Malaysia The Star, citing a Chinese media portal. In his first military meeting with the top-ranking officers after the conclusion of the party congress, Xi said that no efforts must be spared in a bid to achieve these goals by 2027. The remarks become even more important since Xi is also the chairman of the Central Military Commission. His speech was also laced with a high-pitched message for the armed forces, where he said that all members must have a thorough understanding of the party’s thoughts on strengthening the military.
“Commanders, officers, and soldiers should work and train hard to fulfil their tasks to contribute to completing the centennial goals,” Xi stressed in his message to the defence personnel. Members of the new Central Military Commission were selected at the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Xi commanded all military units to strictly follow the Central Military Commission’s annual plan. This comes after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan fanned the flames of issues between China and Taiwan. He was elected as the general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secured an unprecedented third term. This indicates that the coming days are not expected to be easy for Taiwan.
After his re-election, Geopolitica quoted Xi as saying, “We will safeguard the overall interests of the Chinese nation and take resolute steps to oppose “Taiwan independence’ and promote reunification. “Resolving the Taiwan question must be resolved by the Chinese.”
“We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” he added. Beijing has always vowed to unify Taiwan with the mainland, even if through force. Xi has been asserting the need for “complete national reunification.”
In 2017, he said, “Complete national reunification is an inevitable requirement for realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” In 2019, the Chinese leader reiterated the formula to reintroduce Taiwan into China under the idea of “one country, two systems.” The same formula applied to Hong Kong, reported Geopolitica.
However, it cited the US intelligence community stating that China might preempt the plan of its attack by as early as 2024. Incidentally, this will coincide with the Taiwanese presidential elections.