China called its growing military strength a force for peace and Communist Party rule on the 80th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) yesterday as a senior commander warned Taiwan against risking war.
President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), addressing hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen at the Great Hall of the People, promised more money for military modernization and to include greater use of technology and professional troops.
The anniversary has brought a crescendo of propaganda seeking to advertise China's growing military confidence but also to counter Western claims that the PLA threatens regional stability.
"The PLA is internationally renowned as a powerful, disciplined army and has won the deep trust and high regard of the party and people," said Hu, who is also chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission.
"We will gradually increase spending on national defense as the economy grows and continue to modernize national defense and the armed forces," he added, as a plethora of former leaders looked on, including his predecessor, Jiang Zemin (
Hu mentioned Jiang several times and praised his "thinking on enhancing defense and military capabilities" as one of the PLA's guiding principles.
Jiang, who turns 81 this month, shuffled on and off the stage, repeatedly looked at his watch and at times appeared to doze off. Jiang shook hands with Hu after his speech but made no public comments.
The appearance of Jiang and former premiers Zhu Rongji (
"We will ... ensure that our armed forces are capable of winning a war in the information age," Hu said, in a speech punctuated by thunderous rounds of applause. "Modernization of weapons and equipment should be accelerated and personnel training enhanced."
The People's Daily said in an editorial that the PLA was a force for peace: "It provides a staunch security protection for our country's development in an important strategic period ... and plays a major role in protecting world peace."
The editorial also said the military was an "important force" to ensure the party's grip on power.
"In the face of profound changes and daunting tasks, political work can only be strengthened and not weakened," Hu said. "The PLA is forever at the Chinese Communist Party's command."
This was one of no less than 15 instances of Hu referring to the party's total command over the 2.3 million-strong military -- a repudiation of what officials have called hostile calls for the army to shift its loyalties to the government.
The anniversary also included reminders that preventing Taiwan's independence remained the Chinese military's key mission.
Though Hu did not directly mention Taiwan, Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan (
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS