The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command's fleet was inspected by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

According to local media, Xi emphasized the need for enhancing training and combat preparedness, as well as expediting transformation to increase the armed forces modernization levels on all fronts.

Xi urged the Chinese armed forces to unwaveringly fulfill the duties assigned to them by the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the Chinese people.

Chinese armed forces must be ready

Significantly, Xi emphasized that it's crucial that the armed forces examine and deal with military issues from a political standpoint and improve their capacity to provide prompt and appropriate responses to complicated situations.

Moreover, the Chinese President defended China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, stressing the importance of regional stability.

Xi also gave the military orders to improve training in combat situations and innovate combat concepts, fighting techniques, and training methods, alongside stepping up force-on-force training based on operational plans. 

According to the President, the armed forces must work swiftly to integrate novel equipment and forces into their actual fighting capabilities. They should also create novel varieties of combat forces and techniques.

Xi also encouraged the party to govern the military with strict discipline in every aspect.

During his visit, Xi posed for group photos and met with representatives of officers and soldiers of the fleet. The President recognized the effort and achievements made in improving itself and exercising its duties since the 18th Communist Party of China National Congress in 1012.

China hikes military spending as threats, external attempts 'escalate'

China revealed on March 5th that the defense budget in 2023 will be the highest in four years at 1.55 trillion yuan ($225 billion) as foreign threats increase against the Asian giant that ranks second after the US in military spending having allocated a staggering budget of over $800 billion this year.

The announcement made by the parliament came prior to Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected third term. 

The 7.2% increase in defense spending came after Beijing said its target GDP this year stands at 5%.

Li Keqiang, China's former premier, said in an address to the National People's Congress (NPC), "External attempts to suppress and contain China are escalating," referring to the US and its allies' escalating hostility toward the country.

"The armed forces should intensify military training and preparedness across the board," he added.

The army must "devote greater energy to training under combat conditions, and... strengthen military work in all directions and domains," Li stressed.

China-US relations have gone further downhill as Washington is increasingly hyper-militarizing Pacific Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, in the face of Beijing, in addition to its weapons sales to Taiwan and gradually attempting to break the One China policy.

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