Xi Jinping speaks to Chinese border troops, tells them to 'improve battle readiness'

In a rare video chat with Chinese border troops posted at an unspecified high-altitude location, Xi Jinping asked the People's Liberation Army to boost its "readiness to fight and win wars".

 

Ananth Krishnan  | Posted by Ankit Misra
Beijing, November 4, 2017 | UPDATED 10:20 IST
Xi Jinping.Xi Jinping.

Highlights

  • 1
    Xi asked PLA soldiers questions on combat preparedness, trainings and logistics.
  • 2
    We are prepared for the winter and ready to carry out our missions, a PLA soldier told Xi.
  • 3
    Xi also spoke to PLA troops in China's first overseas facility in Djibouti.

President Xi Jinping has held a rare video chat with Chinese border troops posted at an unspecified high-altitude location, as he called for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to boost its "readiness to fight and win wars".

Xi asked the border troops, "Is the weather cold out there? Have you already prepared for the winter?"

A soldier replied, "Today's temperature is minus 12 degrees. It is not that cold! So far, optical fibres have reached every company. Electricity has been transmitted to every squad. We can meet the requirements of living in winter and carrying out missions!"

Dressed in a military attire, Xi held the conversation with the border troops during his first visit to the Central Military Commission (CMC) joint battle command centre in his second term, following the October 24 Party Congress.

State media showed Xi conversing, via a video link, to PLA soldiers at a high-altitude border location, which experts said could likely be in Tibet or Xinjiang.

State media said Xi also asked "other detailed questions regarding combat preparedness, trainings, logistics and the existence of other difficulties."

His conversation came during a visit to the CMC joint battle command centre with the new CMC leadership, appointed at the congress. Xi chairs the CMC.

CMC MUST LEAD ARMED FORCES TO WIN WARS: XI  

"The CMC should lead the armed forces to be ready to fight and win wars, and to undertake the missions and tasks of the new era entrusted to them by the Party and the people", Xi said, reported the official Xinhua news agency.

"The capability to win is strategically important in safeguarding national security and strengthening that capability and combat readiness in the new era would provide strategic support to the realisation of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation."

He called on the military "to closely follow the situation of national security and to ensure military preparedness in all directions and all fields."

Besides the border troops, Xi also spoke to PLA troops in China's first overseas facility in Djibouti. He asked them "to help promote international and regional peace and stability."

WATCH VIDEO | Chinese President Jinping asks Army to be ready for war