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President Xi Jinping spent the second day of his Guangdong tour visiting a military base, calling on the Marines to improve combat readiness and stay alert. He also toured Shantou, the hometown of many overseas Chinese, on Tuesday.
The president will participate in celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen special economic zone on Wednesday.
At the military base near Shantou in the eastern province, Xi told the Marines that they should aspire to be a “multifunctional, rapid-response, all-weather, regional” fighting force.
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“[You should] focus your mind and energy on preparing to go to war and stay very vigilant, “Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“The Marines have many different missions and the demands placed on them will vary,” he said. “As such [you] you should base your training on [the need to] go into battle … and lift [your] standards of training and combat capacity “.
Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, told the Marines that they must assume “important responsibility” to safeguard China’s territory and sovereignty, the country’s maritime interests, and its interests abroad: veiled references to the Beijing’s claims on Taiwan and southern China. Sea.
The visit comes as tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait and amid warm ties between the United States and Taiwan, the autonomous island that Beijing has vowed to bring under its control, by force if necessary.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday that Beijing would retaliate in response to reports that the US Congress was reviewing three agreements to supply Taiwan with advanced weapons.
“The United States should immediately cancel the planned arms sales to Taiwan, stop any arms deals, and sever its military ties,” Zhao said.
The president told Shantou residents that China will achieve its goal of “national rejuvenation” despite the challenges. Photo: Xinhua
Xi visited Shantou in the afternoon, where he said China would achieve its goal of “national rejuvenation” despite the challenges it faces.
In video footage posted by social media users, Xi in Shantou is seen saying that he will emphasize in Shenzhen that China “will unhesitatingly follow the path of reform and openness, and will continue to build a modern and prosperous Chinese nation.”
Shantou is one of the four special economic zones established by Beijing in its early days of reform, but it has lagged behind Shenzhen, which became China’s high-tech hub.
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However, speaking to residents on Tuesday, Xi praised the overseas Chinese for their contributions to the country’s reforms. Many well-known moguls were born in Shantou and nearby Chaozhou, which Xi visited on Monday, including billionaires such as Li Ka-shing, Tencent founder Pony Ma Huateng, and Gome founder Huang Guangyu.
In Shenzhen, Xi is expected to meet with city officials from the Greater Bay Area development zone. He will also meet with Hong Kong CEO Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her Macau counterpart Ho Iat-seng.
The president’s Guangdong tour comes just two weeks before a major Communist Party plenary session during which the next five-year economic and social development plan is expected to be approved.
Zhang Siping, a former deputy mayor of Shenzhen, said that as Beijing sought to further open the country, the city would once again be tasked with making “breakthrough” as it did 40 years ago.
“But the ‘advance’ mission is totally different now,” he said, adding that it would become the “pilot zone for socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
“In the context of US sanctions, containment and decoupling, Shenzhen will need to make progress in establishing new rules, systems and standards, and make China’s economy more integrated with that of the world.” said Zhang, founder of Shenzhen Innovation and Development Institute, an independent think tank.
