Remarks on the Reception Celebrating the 96th Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army by Senior Colonel WANG RUNXU |
2023-08-05 10:06 |
Your Excellencies, Distinguished guests and friends of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)! Today, in Greece, in this most beautiful season, we celebrate the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese PLA. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and to extend warm welcome to all of you! The gunfire of the Nanchang Uprising on August 1st ,1927 announced the birth of a new type of people’s army led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the past 96 years, under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese military had embarked on an extraordinary and glorious road from small to large, from weak to strong, from victory to victory. The Chinese PLA had made historical contributions in its great efforts of striving for national independence, winning the people’s liberation, defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, supporting national economic and social constructions, and also importantly the PLA has been a positive power to maintain world peace. Therefor the PLA has been called the “Steel Great Wall” of China. Since entering the New Era, we have continuously accelerated the modernization of national defense and the military, successfully reduced the number of active service personnel by 300 thousand, and the PLA has undergone a new system, new structure, new configuration, and new look, on the road which leads to a strong army with Chinese characteristics. The Chinese PLA has always attached great importance to self-construction and unswervingly defend national sovereignty, security and development interests of China. National defense and military constructions are guarantee of national security. A strong army provides strength and fundamental support for national security. Historical experience has repeatedly proved that a weak army has a fatal impact on national security. It is difficult for a weak army to resolve various threats to national security. It is also difficult for a weak army to resist foreign aggression and prevent armed subversion and division. Without a strong military, national security cannot be guaranteed. The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. The international strategic landscape is going through profound changes. Global and regional security hot issues continue to increase. The risks and challenges China is facing in its national security cannot be ignored. The Chinese PLA will, as always, safeguard national political security, people’s security, and social stability, oppose and contain “Taiwan independence,” fight against “Tibet independence” and “East Turkistan” and other separatist forces, safeguard national sovereignty, unity and security. No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will and powerful capabilities of PLA in safeguarding national interests! In recent years, peace in the Asia-Pacific region has become turbulent. China has been always advocating that the Asia-Pacific region is the common home of all the countries in this region. The key to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region lies in their efforts of all the countries in the region to adhere to mutual trust, solidarity and cooperation, and firmly hold the “lifeline” of their own security in their own hands. The intervention of external forces will inevitably aggravate regional tensions and endanger regional peace and stability. We firmly oppose NATO and other external forces intervene the Asia-Pacific. The Chinese PLA has always loved peace and unswervingly support the path of peaceful development chosen by the Chinese government.The Chinese nation love peace. The socialist system of China, the strategic decision to follow the path of peaceful development, the independent foreign policy of peace determines that China will pursue a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. In recent years, in order to cope with complex security challenges and effectively fulfill the responsibilities of a major country, the Chinese government has generally maintained a reasonable and stable increase in national defense expenditure while maintaining sustained and healthy economic and social development, and promoted the simultaneous improvement of national defense and economic strength. Over decades, China’s share of defense expenditure in GDP and government expenditure, as well as per capita and per-service person defense spending, are all at a relatively low level. China's limited defense expenditure is entirely for safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests. China’s national defense construction and development have always been focused on meeting the legitimate needs of its own security, and have always been the growth of the world’s peace force. The Chinese PLA is the Chinese People’s army under the leadership of the CPC and has always firmly supported the Chinese government’s foreign policy of peace. History has proved and will continue to prove that China will never follow the old path of chasing hegemony and “a strong power must seek hegemony”. President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that no matter how far China develops, we will never seek hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence. This is China’s solemn commitment to the international community. The Chinese PLA has always paid attention to responsibility and unswervingly fulfilled it |