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HONG KONG, Oct 23 (SCMP): Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the US that China did not fear war in a fiercely nationalist and direct speech marking the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the war. of Korea against American forces amid mounting tensions between the great powers.
Speaking from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, Xi touted the war to “resist US aggression and help Korea” from 1950 to 1953, the only military conflict between China and the United States, as a demonstration of military might. of China against American Imperialists.
“Seventy years ago, the imperialist invaders shot at the threshold of a new China,” he said. “The Chinese people understood that a language must be used that the invaders can understand: fight war with war and stop an invasion with force, earning peace and respect through victory. The Chinese people will not create problems, but we are not afraid of them either, and no matter what difficulties or challenges we face, our legs will not shake and our backs will not bend. “
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Xi stressed that “any country and any army, no matter how powerful they used to be”, a clear blow to the United States, would see their actions “battered” if they opposed the international community. He added that China needed to accelerate its military modernization to build a world-class army and ensure that the ruling Chinese Communist Party maintained “absolute leadership” over the army.
“In today’s world, any unilateralism, protectionism, and extreme self-interest ideology are totally unfeasible, and any blackmail, blockades and extreme pressure are totally unfeasible,” he said. “Any action that focuses only on oneself and any effort to participate in hegemony and harassment will simply not work, not only will it not work, but it will be a dead end.”
The Chinese leader’s remarks, made less than two weeks before the US election, coincided with a heated debate between US President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, in which the two probed over who would best address the challenges of an uprising. China.
Xi’s speech, the latest in a series of heavily touted events on the Korean War amid heightened tensions between the United States and China, also came ahead of next week’s Fifth Plenary, the key party meeting that will chart the political, economic and social situation of the country. development over the next five years.
Earlier in the week, Xi, during a visit to the exhibition on the Korean War in Beijing, urged the Chinese people to “keep faith in their final victory” and “prevail over all enemies,” in which he was also seen as a clear signal to the United States.
Xie Maosong, a political scientist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Xi’s speech conveyed a clear message of China’s readiness to strike back, ahead of Sunday’s anniversary of the first clash between Chinese and US forces during the war of Korea.
For China, the Korean War is a reminder of strength against the United States.
Remembered as the Battle of Onjong, the 40th People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) Corps on October 25, 1950 carried out a series of ambushes against the troops of the Republic of Korea (ROK), destroying the right flank. of the US Eighth Army as they halted their advance north toward the China-Korea Border.
“His previous speech was more subtle,” Xie said. “Xi’s speech today, ahead of the anniversary of the Chinese PVA troops who fired their first shot and won the first victory, is clearly aimed at sending a message of ‘we will fight and win again’ to the Chinese people, as China faces growing pressure from the United States now. “
The strategic rivalry between China and the United States has been intensified by trade, technology, the coronavirus pandemic, fighting ideologies and Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Tibet. Analysts have warned that the risk of war has increased, even as a full-blown military conflict continues against the interests of both sides. – South China Morning Post
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