China’s Xi Jinping says better use of defense resources is needed to ‘win the war’
President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China needed to improve the use of defense resources such as technology, supply chains and national reserves to “strengthen its military and win wars”.
Xi is the commander-in-chief of China’s armed forces and is due to be formally re-elected as president later this week.
During the annual session of parliament, Xi told representatives of the People’s Liberation Army and military police that strengthening and improving “integrated strategic capabilities” is a new requirement set by the ruling Communist Party, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Dressed in a Chinese suit in army green, he reminded the army that it should be led by the party. Xi secured an unprecedented third term as party chief last year.
“China needs to make better use of defense science, technology and industry to strengthen its military and win the war,” Xi said.
He asked national laboratories to speed up their research in defense technology so that China does not have to depend on foreign countries.
He also said that the industry supply chain needs to be more resilient and called for creation of more infrastructure and setting up of a national stockpile for defense purposes.
Xi did not specify what “strategic risks” he said the military needed to address.
China has been taking an increasingly assertive stance toward the United States and other countries and has never ruled out the use of force to take back Taiwan, which it rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims over.
