10th June 2023 – (Beijing) During a fact-finding trip to north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, President Xi Jinping urged Chinese border troops to enhance their capabilities in border defence and control. He called for the forging of a “great wall of steel” along the country’s borders to ensure national stability and governance.
Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, praised the efforts of the region’s border troops in ensuring security and stability on the northern border of the country. He commended China’s progress in border defense work since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.
The Chinese president emphasised the importance of border defence in safeguarding China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests. He called on border troops to have a stronger sense of mission and responsibility in guarding the borders for the Party and the people.
Xi stressed the need for continuous efforts to enhance cohesion and forge the soul of the border troops with the Party’s new theories. He also called for improvements in the education of the troops on political discipline, discipline regarding the public, affairs related to foreigners, and policies on ethnic and religious affairs. The Chinese president emphasised the importance of ensuring the integrity and a high degree of unity among the border troops.
Xi called for more efforts to intensify troop training and enhance combat preparedness. He also urged the speeding up of capacity building concerning information technology-enabled border defence and control. The president emphasised the need to transform the way border defence duties are performed, tighten military discipline, maintain good troop order, and foster more border defence professionals.
Highlighting cooperation among Party and government departments, the military, law enforcement agencies, and ordinary people in border defence, Xi called for joint efforts from all parties to break new ground in defending the country’s borders.
The Chinese president’s call for stronger border defence comes amid rising tensions between China and its neighbours, including India and Taiwan, over territorial disputes. China has been increasing its military presence along its borders with India, Taiwan, and other countries, leading to concerns about the possibility of a military conflict.
Xi’s visit to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region also comes amid a crackdown on separatist movements in the region. The Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in the region, including the Uighur Muslims.