David McLoone
Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued an order directing the military to begin “preparing for war” in his first statement to the Chinese armed forces of 2021.
The new statement echoes numerous earlier commands of the Chinese president to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), to likewise “prepare for war.”
The Central Military Commission (CMC), headed by Xi, has expanded its powers over the army “to mobilise military and civilian resources in defence of the national interest, both at home and abroad” after a new law came into effect on January 1, according to the South China Morning Post. The new National Defence Law centralizes more power over the military into the hands of the CMC and away from China’s cabinet, known as the State Council.
The new powers give more authority to Xi, who is already general secretary of the CCP as well as chairman of the CMC and president of the Chinese Republic.
Alongside “preparing for war,” Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency reports that Xi ordered the PLA to “deepen the transformation of military training, build a new type of military training system, and comprehensively improve the level of combat training and ability to win.” He also emphasized the need for “full-time combat readiness,” as they could be asked to “act at any second.”
Xi also focused on the need for an expansion in the use of technology in training and on the battlefield, declaring it a “core idea in combat effectiveness.” He added that the PLA should “increase the integration of new equipment, new forces and new combat realms into training and combat systems.”
State news agency Xinhua described the orders as part of an effort to tighten Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control of the nation’s military and to prepare it for future conflicts:
Upholding the Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces and focusing on combat capabilities, the regulations stipulated the guiding principles, leadership, responsibilities and structures of the committees in detail. At the same time, it sets requirements for its members.
It’s unknown why Xi believes now is the time to increase his troops readiness in China.
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