'Be Ready To Act At Any Second', Chinese President Orders Military To Be On High Alert

Chinese President has ordered the army to be on high alert and be ready for combat at anytime. The order comes at a time when the border standoff with India has reached a stalemate.

China's President Xi Jinping. PIC/AFP.

New Delhi: Chinese president Xi Jinping has asked the army to step up its military training and be ready ‘for war at any time’. Xi Jinping’s new orders come at a time when the India-China stand off has reached a stalemate the Eastern Ladakh region. China’s President Jinping has asked the military to strengthen training and remain on high alert after a new revised defence law came to force this year, which expands the powers of the armed forces. Jinping, who heads the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Central Military Commission (CMC) signed the commission's first order for 2021. The order listed priorities in the training of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the People's Armed Police Force (PLAF). According to PTI report, the order instructed the armed forces to stick to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as their guiding principle and uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military as well as military strategies in the new era. According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, Xi said the PLA must be ready to "act at any second" as the armed forces kicked off the year's military training and exercises on Monday. "(The PLA must) increase the integration of new equipment, new forces and new combat realms into training and combat systems, the report said, quoting the Chinese president. Despite rounds of diplomatic and military level talks in the past five-six months, the standoff with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh remains inconclusive. Last month, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that no "meaningful solution" has come out and there is "status quo".