Xi Jinping Inspects Military Units Ahead of Lunar New Year... Orders Strengthening of Combat Readiness

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected an air force unit in Guizhou Province in southwestern China ahead of the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), Xinhua News Agency reported on the 7th.

According to the report, Xi, who serves as the General Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, extended New Year greetings to all personnel of the People's Liberation Army on behalf of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission during his visit to the unit on the 4th.

President Xi visited the military hospital to commend the unit's COVID-19 response and warned about the increased risk of virus transmission during the Spring Festival period, when population movement is high. He instructed that the military must be prepared to support local authorities in epidemic prevention efforts.

While touring the interior of a special-purpose aircraft used in information warfare, Xi emphasized, "We must accelerate the development of advanced equipment, cultivate specialized personnel, strengthen tailored training, and speed up combat capability upgrades."

He also demanded that realistic military training be intensified to continuously improve the ability to win wars.

These remarks came amid rising military tensions between the U.S. and China in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

Xi inspected Guizhou Province from the 3rd to the 5th ahead of the Spring Festival.

Meanwhile, Xinhua reported that Xi sent a congratulatory message to the 34th African Union Summit the day before.

He proposed that China and Africa cooperate on COVID-19 prevention and deepen cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative projects.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.