Chinese military ‘not afraid of suffering, death’ after US vows to intimidate enemies
- United States Air Force secretary Frank Kendall had said the US would keep investing in tech that ‘will be intimidating to future enemies’
- China’s forces will not be cowed, spokesman says, citing Korean war and shooting down of US aircraft in the 1960s
“The air force has always upheld the mottos that, first, we are not afraid of suffering, and second, we are not afraid of death,” air force spokesman Shen Jinke said on Tuesday.
Shen said China’s People’s Liberation Army was not afraid of challenges, pointing to its participation in the Korean war in 1953 against the US military.
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Other examples cited by Shen included combat patrols in the East China and South China seas – where the Chinese military often has close encounters with the US – and the shooting down of five U-2 strategic reconnaissance aircraft between 1962 and 1967.
“Air force officers will resolutely defend the aerial security of the country, firmly protect the developmental interests of the country, so the [Communist Party] and the people can be at ease,” Shen said.