China’s president emphasized the need to “coordinate and enhance” the country’s “strategic capabilities” with the aim of “promoting world-class armed forces faster” during a meeting with military representatives this Thursday.
Xi Jinping said “improving integrated strategic capabilities” is key to China’s goal of becoming a global power, in a world that is becoming increasingly “competitive” and “challenging”.
The delegation consisted of representatives of the army and of the People’s Armed Police, a paramilitary unit. The meeting took place during the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s highest legislative body.
“We must integrate plans, resources and forces to face strategic risks, safeguard our interests and achieve our goals,” Xi said, quoted by official media.
The Chinese leader urged the military to follow the latest Chinese Communist Party (CCP) guidelines, including “impulse innovation in science and technology”, focusing on “independent and original innovation”.
“We need to achieve a high level of confidence and strength in the science and technology sectors at a faster pace. The resilience of industrial and supply chains also needs to be improved,” he added.
“Successful implementation of this policy is vital to building a modern socialist country and will further our dream of ‘national rejuvenation’ by accelerating the modernization of our military into a world-class fighting force,” Xi said.
Calls to accelerate self-sustainable development in science and technology, strengthen strategic capabilities or make industrial and supply chains more resilient are part of a series of national strategies already underway, including the “Made in China 2025” initiative to turn the country into a technology powerhouse, with capabilities in high value-added sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips, robotics and electric cars.
The strategic concept for the armed forces referred to by the Chinese leader – officially called “Improving Integrated National Strategies and Strategic Capabilities” – promoted after the 20th Congress of the CPC, emphasizes broader planning and the “integrated allocation of resources and coordination among a united leadership”.
“The key (…) is integration,” Xi noted. “O [seu êxito] will decide whether we can maximize our overall strategic capabilities,” he stressed.
Xi’s remarks underlined Beijing’s determination to accelerate the modernization of its armed forces at a time of heightened tensions with the United States and several neighboring countries over territorial claims ranging from the East and South China Seas to the border with India, in the Himalayas. -region.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned that friction between China and the United States could escalate into conflict.
“If the United States does not brake and continues to accelerate on the wrong path, no barriers can stop the derailment, and conflicts and confrontations are sure to come,” Qin said.
The day before, Xi had highlighted China’s frustration with US-imposed restrictions on access to technology and Washington’s support for Taiwan and regional military blocs.
“Western countries led by the United States have implemented a strategy of containment, encirclement and total repression against China, which has created unprecedented challenges for our country’s development,” Xi told the official Xinhua news agency.
On Sunday, outgoing Premier Li Keqiang announced a 7.2% increase in military spending for 2023, surpassing the economic growth target of “around 5%” for this year.
Beijing has published few details about the strategy, but an article published last October by the PLA Daily, the military’s official newspaper, indicated that the aim is to “achieve the two main objectives of building a prosperous country and a powerful army; the two most important development and security issues”.
“History has proven time and time again: a strong country is always the combined result of a strong economy. [robusta] and defense capabilities [poderosas]the article said, adding that the development of a country’s defense should be closely linked to its economy and social development.
“Battlefield challenges are not just disputes between the defense systems of different countries, but a competition between national forces in general,” he stressed.
Source: DN
