China’s military asked to prepare for war
Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued a blunt call for China's military to be ready for war and unafraid to die defending the country, as geopolitical tensions mount in Asia.
Xi cemented his status as China's most powerful leader in decades during an October Communist Party congress, and the recent rhetoric and images of massed soldiers and tanks seemed designed to back up his new strongman image.
During an inspection visit to the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Central Theater Command in northern Hebei province, Xi Jinping said China's military personnel should ‘neither fear hardship nor death.’
Xi also called for the military, a once-backward force whose rapid modernisation over recent years has raised alarm in Asia and Washington to continue upgrading.
He urged the PLA to step up research into high-tech means of warfare and engage in real combat training.
Xi Jinping said: ‘Create an elite and powerful force that is always ready for the fight, capable of combat and sure to win in order to fulfil the tasks bestowed by the Party and the people in the new era.’
As head of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, Xi is commander-in-chief of China's more than two-million-strong armed forces.
Since taking office in 2012, Xi has pushed for a muscular China, including calls in October to develop a ‘world-class’ Chinese army by 2050.
China's neighbours have watched warily as the PLA has upgraded its arsenal with increasing weaponry and sought to create a more effective and professional fighting force.
Analysts say Xi is very unlikely to risk putting China's still-untested new prowess into an outright military confrontation. However, concerns have grown as Beijing has imposed increasingly assertive claims to vast expanses of the contested South China Sea, while engaging in confrontations with Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea and with India over Himalayan regions.
Temperatures also have risen over North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un who is repeatedly testing his country's banned nuclear weapons and missiles, while exchanging tit-for-tat threats with US President Donald Trump.
During his visit to the military command, Xi was shown in combat fatigues inspecting troops, tanks, sniper training, and peering down the sights of an automatic rifle.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?]()
How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
-
![Taiwan approved for $11 billion weapon purchase from US]()
Taiwan approved for $11 billion weapon purchase from US
The US State Department’s approval of a multi-billion-dollar sale of weapons to Taiwan includes tactical mission networks equipment, uncrewed aerial systems, artillery rocket systems and self-propelled howitzers as well as anti-tank guided missiles.
-
![Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan]()
Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan
Ireland’s multi-annual investment in capital defence spending is set to rise from €300m in 2026 to €360m in 2029–2030 with major upgrades across land, air, maritime and cyber domains.
-
![Canada to deepen integration of multi-domain capabilities to strengthen its defences]()
Canada to deepen integration of multi-domain capabilities to strengthen its defences
The Canadian Department of National Defence has created new organisations to manage the procurement and integration of all-domain solutions and allocated US$258.33 million to strengthen production capacities.
-
![US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry]()
US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry
The 2025 NSS has emphasised investment in the US nuclear and air defence inventory and national industry, but it leaves multiple unanswered questions on how the White House will implement this approach.
-
![Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners]()
Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners
While non-EU UK struggles to join the Security Action for Europe initiative, which provides loans for defence programmes, Canada has become the first country outside Europe to get access – and did so for a nominal fee.
