Prepare For War Chinese President Declared

Prepare for war': China's President Xi Jinping tells advisors of South China Sea 

28 Oct, 2018 7:37pm

 3 minutes to read

Chinese soldiers ride on armoured missile carriers as they pass in front of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City during a military parade in 2015. Photo / Getty Images

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By gowidenews 28 Oct, 2018

Report reaching us says that

China's President Xi Jinping has ordered the military region responsible for monitoring the South China Sea and Taiwan to assess the situation it is facing and boost its capabilities so it can handle any emergency.

The Southern Theatre Command has had to bear a "heavy military responsibility" in recent years, state broadcaster CCTV quoted him as saying during an inspection tour made on Thursday as part of his visit to Guangdong province.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands last year. Photo / AP

"It's necessary to strengthen the mission … and concentrate preparations for fighting a war," Xi said. "We need to take all complex situations into consideration and make emergency plans accordingly.

"We have to step up combat readiness exercises, joint exercises and confrontational exercises to enhance servicemen's capabilities and preparation for war."

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Details of his speech were not released to the public by state media until Friday.

Xi's visit to the military command was one of several he made during a four-day trip to the south China province aimed at bolstering confidence amid an economic slowdown, and growing trade and strategic disputes with the United States.

Details of his speech came a day after China's State Councillor General and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe said the country would never give up "one single piece" of its territory and warned that "repeated challenges" to its sovereignty over Taiwan were extremely dangerous and would result in military action.

One of the primary missions of the Southern Theatre Command is overseeing the South China Sea, an area where tensions and military activity involving China, the US and other powers have been growing steadily.

Earlier this month, a Chinese destroyer almost collided with a US warship in the disputed waters after making what the Americans described as an "unsafe and unprofessional" manoeuvre in an attempt to warn it to leave the area.

Military observers said Xi's comments were most likely intended to boost morale and reiterate Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea.