The Chinese president praises his country's military strength in an implicit message to Washington
Chinese soldiers taking part in a military parade in Red Square yesterday.
A.F.B.
Yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned any potential "invaders" of Beijing's military resolve, in a speech he made on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of his country's intervention in the Korean War, the only time that there has been a confrontation between Chinese and American forces.
In a long speech filled with patriotism and examples of the valor of the Chinese forces, Xi said that the victory achieved in the war that lasted between 1950 and 1953 is a reminder that his country is ready to fight any party that "causes unrest ... at China's doorstep."
And China often uses occasions like these to send veiled warnings to the United States about the "new China" military might.
The Korean War is a key stop for the Communist Party, which was a target in recent years for US President Donald Trump, in the context of a conflict that spanned from trade to technology, human rights and the status of Taiwan, which China insists is an integral part of its territory.
"The Chinese are not causing unrest, nor are they afraid of it," Xi said.
"We will not sit idly by and watch for any damage to our national sovereignty," he said.
We will never allow any force to invade or divide the Holy Motherland. ”
On Wednesday, the US Department of Defense announced that it had agreed to sell missiles worth more than a billion dollars to autonomous Taiwan, prompting a warning from Beijing, which vowed to respond.
The Korean War was the first and only time that Chinese and American forces engaged in a large-scale and direct military confrontation.
The Chinese government reports that more than 197,000 Chinese soldiers were killed during the three-year war.
In light of the high level of tension again between Beijing and Washington, China attaches great importance to the memory of the intervention of its forces in the Korean War, in a speech directed at home on the one hand, and to its opponents in the international arena on the other hand.
The official Chinese media launched a propaganda campaign, broadcasting daily interviews with former soldiers who lived through the war.
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