Xi Jinping wants to turn the Chinese Army into a “great wall of steel”

The current turbulent times, of growing military tension, technological competition, mutual mistrust and lurking misunderstandings between the two great planetary powers, seem to demand a new security and defense paradigm from Beijing. The President of China, Xi Jinping, has assured this Monday that he intends to modernize the People’s Liberation Army to turn it into “a great wall of steel” capable of guaranteeing national sovereignty and the development of the country, as he stated during the closing speech. of the National People’s Congress (the Chinese legislature).

In his speech, the first he gave after making history by securing the head of state for a third term, he reiterated the idea that the People’s Republic would not be complete until the reunification of Taiwan. He has claimed to “promote the peaceful development of relations between both sides of the Strait”, as is customary, but added that he will “radically oppose the interference of external forces and the secessionist activities of Taiwan’s independence”. The reference to this “essential” issue for the People’s Republic has received the longest applause from the almost 3,000 deputies sitting in the guts of the Great Hall of the People, in Tiananmen Square.

The democratic enclave of Taiwan, in a boiling state since the visit last summer of the then speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is one of the points of friction where the tattered diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing take tangible form. , pushed to a new limit just a month ago after Washington shot down a Chinese balloon that was flying through US territory without permission.

Xi has also mentioned the technological race, another of those critical issues in the global struggle with the United States. The president has assured that the country must seek “high-quality growth”, bet on “development guided by innovation” and pursue “scientific and technological self-sufficiency”.

His words have lowered the tone after the sharp line he had marked last week to denounce the growing US pressure in areas ranging from trade sanctions to the blockade in the advanced microchip sector. President Xi — little given to direct accusations — last Monday denounced Washington’s strategy aimed at stopping China’s rise. “Western countries, led by the United States, are implementing a complete containment and suppression of China, which poses unprecedented challenges to our development,” he said. The new foreign minister, Qin Gang, added on Tuesday that if the United States “does not step on the brakes” there is a risk of “conflict.”

In his speech on Monday, Xi has vowed that development and security will go hand in hand in this new era. “Security is the foundation of development, and stability is the prerequisite for prosperity,” he has said.

The leader with the most power since the days of Mao Zedong has also revalidated these days the command baton of the Central Military Commission, the highest military body in the country, in a parliamentary session in which the change in the key posts of the Council of State (the Executive) with the appointment of people of absolute confidence of Xi. In this way, the president has consolidated control over the three key estates of the country: the Party, the Government and the Army.

For just over a week, this chamber without real oversight power and controlled by the Communist Party, has approved with more than absolute majorities the new charges, the budget for 2023 – which foresees a growth in Defense spending of 7.2 %, the highest in four years– and the Government’s work report, which estimates growth at around 5% for this year. The plenary has also voted seamlessly in favor of various reforms aimed at guaranteeing the party’s control over critical sectors such as technology, where the national manufacture of semiconductors has become an existential issue, and finance, beset by doubts and uncertainty. debt of the ailing Chinese real estate sector.

Follow all the international information on Facebook y Twitterthe en our weekly newsletter.