Xi, who will be formally re-elected as president later this week, is also the commander-in-chief of China’s military. In his new term, he wants to consolidate and improve the “integrated strategic capability” as dictated by the Communist Party. Xi told representatives of China’s People’s Liberation Army and military police.
For the occasion, Xi was dressed in an army green tailored suit, making it clear to the military that the Communist Party should always head the military forces.”
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Xi also called on Chinese labs to speed up their defense technology research to reduce China’s dependence on other countries. Additionally, the Chinese president wants to make industrial supply chains more resilient and has called for more infrastructure to be built and defense reserves to be increased.
He did not clarify for which wars or strategic risks Xi wants to increase the budget. What is clear is that China is taking an increasingly aggressive stance towards the United States and other countries. China also does not rule out violence to annex Taiwan, which continues to reject Chinese interference.