Chinese President Xi Jinping urged troops to enhance their war preparedness, state media reported on Saturday, following large-scale military drills around Taiwan.
According to CCTV, the state broadcaster Xi expressed these views during a Thursday’s visit to a People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force brigade.
Xi emphasized the need for the military to “comprehensively strengthen training and war preparation” to ensure solid combat capabilities. He highlighted the importance of enhancing strategic deterrent and combat capabilities.
This directive comes as China intensifies its military presence around Taiwan, which it claims as its territory. Just this Monday, China conducted its fourth major military exercise around Taiwan in over two years, involving fighter jets, drones, warships, and coast guard vessels.
Read: China Surrounds Taiwan with Military Drills Amid Rising Tensions
The Chinese leadership maintains that it does not dismiss the use of force to assert control over Taiwan. On his visit, Xi also stated that the military must “strongly safeguard the country’s strategic security and core interests.”
The longstanding dispute between China and Taiwan originated from the civil war that ended in 1949 with the nationalist forces retreating to Taiwan after being defeated by Mao Zedong’s communists. Since then, China and Taiwan have been governed separately.
