Beijing, July 2:
President Xi Jinping on Wednesday directed the military to speed up the goal of elevating its capabilities to world-class standards to protect China’s sovereignty and development interests.
Xi, who heads the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the military and the Presidency, made the remarks at a gathering to celebrate the party’s 105th founding anniversary, during which he asked the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to accelerate its modernisation process.
He called for efforts to achieve the goals set for the military’s 100th anniversary in 2027 and elevate the armed forces’ capabilities to world-class standards, which is widely interpreted as matching the standards of the US military in weaponry, equipment and training.
Xi also called for efforts to resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, and make greater contributions to safeguarding world peace and development, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He also spoke of China’s “unshakable” commitment to unify Taiwan with the Chinese mainland. Â Â Resolving the Taiwan question and realising China’s complete reunification is a historic mission and an unshakable commitment for the CPC, he said.
He pledged resolute actions to fight secessionists seeking “Taiwan independence,” oppose external interference, and advance national reunification.
China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island, is part of the Chinese mainland and rigorously advocates the ‘One China’ policy in its relations with other countries.
Xi hailed the 105-year history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as the “most magnificent epic” of the Chinese nation and urged the party to press ahead to build China into a modern socialist country.