![President Xi Jinping with personnel from the People's Liberation Army in Nanjing, China, on July 6. [Xinhua]](/cnmi_pf/images/2023/07/07/42923-f0whjwcayaq2jln-739_416.webp)
BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday (July 6) said the country's military must "dare to fight", state media reported, as he inspected forces operating in a flashpoint region near Taiwan.
China views self-ruled Taiwan as part of its own territory and has vowed to bring the island under its control one day, by force if necessary.
During an inspection of the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, Xi told military representatives that they should "dare to fight, be good at fighting, and resolutely defend national sovereignty (and) security", state broadcaster CCTV reported.
"At present, the world has entered a new era of turbulence and change, and our country's security situation has become more unstable and uncertain," CCTV quoted Xi as saying.
"It is necessary to deepen war and combat planning... focus on military training for actual combat, and accelerate the improvement in our capacity to win," Xi reportedly said.
The military "must... raise party committee leaders' capacity for preparing for war and doing battle", he added, according to the broadcaster.
Footage broadcast by CCTV on Thursday evening showed Xi in a khaki military dress shirt entering a room of rapturously applauding military officials before making remarks from a podium.
