Amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a stern warning to any foreign power attempting to “bully” China or “oppress” its people.
Speaking on 1 July in Beijing during an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi said, “We Chinese are a people who uphold justice and are not intimidated by threats of force. Thus, the nation has a strong sense of pride and confidence. We have never bullied, oppressed, or subjugated the people of any other country, and we never will. By the same token, we will never allow any foreign force to bully, oppress, or subjugate us. Anyone attempting to do so will find themselves on a collision course with a ‘great wall of steel' forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people.”
The Chinese leader also said that while his country is “eager to learn” from the achievements of other countries and “welcomes helpful suggestions and constructive criticism”, China “will not accept sanctimonious preaching from those who feel they have the right to lecture us”.
Speaking about the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Xi, who also heads China's Central Military Commission, emphasised that Beijing must accelerate the modernisation of national defence and the armed forces.
“A strong country must have a strong military, as only then can it guarantee the security of the nation,” said the president, adding that it is “essential” to maintain the CPC's “absolute leadership over the PLA and follow a Chinese path to military development”.
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