Xi Jinping urges China’s navy to be ‘firm and flexible’ in defending country’s interests

Xi also stressed the importance of the PLA’s ongoing modernisation programme during his visit to a base in Zhanjiang in Guangdong

The base is home to the South Sea Fleet, which is responsible for the South China Sea, site of multiple territorial disputes with neighbouring countries

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Xi Jinping toured a naval base in Guangdong province on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:55pm, 12 Apr 2023Updated: 2:54pm, 13 Apr 2023

Chinese President Xi Jinping told Chinese naval officers on Wednesday they must be both “firm and flexible” in defending the country’s interests.

Xi made the comments, in which he also stressed the importance of continuing to modernise the People’s Liberation Army, during a visit to the headquarters of the PLA Navy’s South Sea Fleet in the city of Zhanjiang as part of his inspection tour of the southern province of Guangdong.

The South Sea Fleet, which is under the PLA Southern Theatre Command, is directly responsible for the disputed South China Sea and plays a support role in the Taiwan Strait.

“[We] must insist on tackling military issues from a political perspective, and carry out military struggles firmly and flexibly, improve our ability to handle complicated problems in a timely manner, resolutely defend our territorial sovereignty and maritime interests, and strive to protect overall peripheral stability,” Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The Chinese leader, who also heads the Central Military Commission, asked the officers to help accelerate the PLA’s transformation into a modern fighting force by carrying out “real combat-oriented exercises” and adopting innovative modern warfare concepts.

He stressed the importance of finding new edges for the PLA and of mastering “new characters and patterns in the development of new fighting forces”, and urged the military to “resolve our shortcomings and weaknesses and promote the overall upgrade of combat systems”.

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Xi Jinping urges China’s navy to be ‘firm and flexible’ in defending country’s interests

Xi also stressed the importance of the PLA’s ongoing modernisation programme during his visit to a base in Zhanjiang in Guangdong The base is home to the South Sea Fleet, which is responsible for the South China Sea, site of multiple territorial disputes with neighbouring countries

Xi also stressed the importance of the PLA’s ongoing modernisation programme during his visit to a base in Zhanjiang in Guangdong

The base is home to the South Sea Fleet, which is responsible for the South China Sea, site of multiple territorial disputes with neighbouring countries