Don’t expect an easy life and be ready to struggle, Chinese President Xi Jinping warns officials

The Chinese leader tells cadres at the Central Party School that the ‘risks and challenges we face are conspicuously increasing’

Xi’s comments about the the need to fight to protect national security come amid ongoing tensions with the United States

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Xi Jinping addressed an event at the party school. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:30pm, 2 Sep 2021Updated: 9:08am, 3 Sep 2021

Chinese officials have been warned by President Xi Jinping to “discard their illusions” about having an easy life and “dare to struggle” to protect the country’s sovereignty and security

“The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered a key phase, and risks and challenges we face are conspicuously increasing,” Xi said, according to state news agency Xinhua. “It’s unrealistic to always expect easy days and not want to struggle.”

He told an event on Wednesday to mark the new semester at the Central Party School, where cadres are trained, that: “[We] must not yield an inch on issues of principle, and defend national sovereignty, security and development interests with an unprecedented quality of mind.”

His remarks to hundreds of mid-level cadres from around the country did not elaborate on the need to struggle but were made amid growing tension with the United States on a range of fronts, including geopolitics, the economy and technology.

Beijing has reacted strongly to what it sees as provocations that touch on its core interests, including staging military drills near Taiwan last month in response to US expressions of support for the island.

The growing international criticism of Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang, where it is accused of the use of mass detention and forced labour, have seen it exchanging sanctions with Washington, London and Brussels – freezing a trade deal with the European Union that had taken seven years to negotiate.

Senior Chinese officials and generals have signalled they expect the competition with the US to deepen, despite recent visits by senior White House officials such as deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman and special climate envoy John Kerry.