Tensions are now growing around the future of the South China Sea and Taiwan.
Tensions are now growing around the future of the South China Sea and Taiwan
As China continues to battle the escalating trade war with the US, President Xi Jinping has ordered military region tasked with monitoring the South China Sea and Taiwan to “assess the situation it is facing and boost its capabilities so it can handle any emergency.”
Tensions are now growing around the future of the South China Sea and Taiwan, as relations between Washington and Beijing take an abrupt nosedive.
As reports of Russia and China both moving to bypass the US by dropping the dollar for bilateral trades, there seems to a shift in those countries working against the US as the trade war turns nasty.
The Southern Theatre Command has had a “heavy military responsibility,” state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi during an inspection tour on Thursday.
“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” the president-for-life added.
According to the South China Morning Post, 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.
Xinhua reports President Xi “stressed the need to focus on combat research and commanding, to advance work in all areas and accelerate developing strong and efficient joint-operation commanding institutions for theatre commands to comprehensively boost the military’s battle-winning ability.”
According to ZH: The president instructed the military to ramp-up opposition to ‘freedom of navigation’ exercises being undertaken by the US, Australia, France, the UK, Japan, and others through the waterway through which arterial shipping lanes have grown since the end of World War II.
“He ordered the troop to keep a close watch for changes in the situations and to strengthen analysis to firmly protect border stability and safety of the people’s life and property,” Xinhua reported Xi as saying.
“After hearing a report on their work, he underlined the importance of preparing for war and combat, while taking consideration of various complex situations, improving response plans and focusing on real-combat training.
”Xi’s words represent a significant ramp-up in the rhetoric between Beijing and Washington. China has been angered by US sanctions on its military for buying weapons from Russia, and by what Beijing sees as renewed Washington support for democratic Taiwan.
Earlier this month, US Vice-President Mike Pence took the tensions between Washington and Beijing to a new level: “Using that stolen technology, the Chinese Communist Party is turning plowshares into swords on a massive scale,” he said.
Meanwhile, the US recently sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait, claiming “freedom of navigation,” and further angering China.
According to Australia’s News.com.au, President Xi was not the only ruling Communist Party member to up the ante last week. State Councillor General and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said that Beijing would never give up “one single piece” of its territory.
He warned that “repeated challenges” to China’s sovereignty over Taiwan would lead to military action.As for Xi’s surprisingly sharp warning, the SCMP quoted military observers as saying President Xi’s words were likely aimed at an internal audience, boosting morale in the face of growing economic and international pressures.
“It’s likely intended as a signal to the US in particular and any parties that Beijing perceives to be causing a provocation,” Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said.
That said, the Beijing-based military analyst said he expected further clashes to come in the South China Sea.“The United States is expected to conduct more freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea region, and because it does not recognize (Beijing’s) rights to artificial islands, like Mischief Reef, there will probably be more military friction between the two countries there,” the Post quoted him as saying.
Earlier this month a Chinese destroyer almost rammed a US warship to force it to leave disputed waters.
Shortly after the event, the Chinese defense ministry criticized the US for “gravely threatening China’s sovereignty and security, severely damaging relations between the two militaries and significantly undermining regional peace and stability.”
Last week, China’s Foreign Ministry said it had ‘expressed concern’ at the recent passage of two US warships through the narrow waterway between China and Taiwan.
“China has closely followed the passing of US warships through the Taiwan Strait and monitored the whole process,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.“We urge the US to strictly abide by the three China-US joint communiques and properly handle Taiwan-related issues to avoid impairing bilateral relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
So far any Chinese warnings and threats have fallen on deaf ears.
Source: https://neonnettle.com/features/1567-china-s-president-orders-military-prepare-for-war-
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