중요외신 ‘Prepare for war’, Xi Jinping tells military region that monitors South China Sea, Taiwan

[panchan1]

‘Prepare for war’, Xi Jinping tells military region that monitors South China Sea, Taiwan

• China must ‘take all complex situations into consideration and make emergency plans accordingly’, Xi says on visit to Southern Theatre Command
• Military region has had to bear a ‘heavy military responsibility’ in recent years, he says

PUBLISHED : Friday, 26 October, 2018, 10:48pm

UPDATED : Saturday, 27 October, 2018, 7:53am

COMMENTS: 355 

Kristin Huang

 

https://twitter.com/kristinaberdeen

 

kristin.huang@scmp.com

3246SHARE

355

PrintEmail

RELATED TOPICS

China militarySouth China SeaXi JinpingTaiwan

More on this story

MILITARY

Military dialogue ‘best way’ to ease US-China tensions in South China Sea

26 Oct 2018

MILITARY

China embarks on first joint naval drills with Asean

23 Oct 2018

MILITARY

Air forces urged to sign South China Sea code of conduct

19 Oct 2018

MILITARY

US bombers fly over South China Sea ahead of Asean summit

19 Oct 2018

DIPLOMACY

South China Sea is Beijing’s priority, US think tank says

17 Oct 2018

Related Articles

MILITARY

Taiwan to get upgraded F-16V fighter jets after US arms sale approved

26 Oct 2018

MILITARY

Military dialogue ‘best way’ to ease US-China tensions in South China Sea

26 Oct 2018

SCIENCE

3, 2, 1 ... space up for grabs on China’s launch-and-return satellites

26 Oct 2018

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.

CHINA AT A GLANCE

Get updates direct to your inbox

E-mail *

By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy

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.

“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.”

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

Military dialogue ‘best way’ to ease US-China tensions in South China Sea

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.

카페회원들의 안전을 위해 iframe 태그를 제한 하였습니다. 관련공지보기▶

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.

At Western-led summit, Chinese find controversy and a clash of cultures

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.

카페회원들의 안전을 위해 iframe 태그를 제한 하였습니다. 관련공지보기▶

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

“It’s likely intended as a signal to the US in particular and any parties that Beijing perceives to be causing provocation [in the disputed waters],” said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

US$330 million arms sale to Taiwan will go ahead, says US Congress

Beijing-based analyst Zhou Chenming took a similar view.

“The United States is expected to conduct more freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea region, and because it does not recognise [Beijing’s] rights to artificial islands, like Mischief Reef, there will probably be more military friction between the two countries there.”

Pentagon sends two US warships through Taiwan Strait, risking fury from Beijing as tensions remain high

Koh said Xi’s address to the Southern Theatre Command was also a clear warning to pro-independence forces in Taiwan, as the military region shared responsibility with the Eastern Theatre Command for monitoring the self-ruled island.

Relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated since Tsai Ing-wen from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party was elected Taiwan’s president in 2016.