General Xu Caihou of the People's Liberation Army of China and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon (2009). U.S. Department of Defense.
Senior Military Official Urges No Slackness In Military Preparation -- People's Daily/Xinhuanet
TAIYUAN, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- A senior Chinese military official has urged the army not to slack off and be prepared for any possible military combat.
Efforts should be made to ensure that the military is capable of resolutely performing its duty to safeguard the country's national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity whenever it is needed by the Party and the people, said Xu Caihou, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission.
Xu made the remarks Thursday during a recent inspection to certain military units in north China's Shanxi Province.
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Update: Chinese General: Prepare for Combat. Top Chinese general in unusual move tells troops to ready for combat with Japan -- Washington Free Beacon
My Comment: Preparing one's military forces for combat is nothing new .... this is what armies train for. But this senior Chinese military leader is saying these provocative statements with US Secretary of Defense Panetta visiting the country. The Chinese are sending out a message .... to their own people and to the outside .... but are the Americans and the rest of Asia listening?