On March 9, Wu Qian, spokesman for the Delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force at the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress, was interviewed by the media.
Q: On March 7, President Xi Jinping attended the plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force at the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress and delivered an important speech. Please provide further information.
A: Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and the Armed Police Force at the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress on the afternoon of March 7 and delivered an important speech. President Xi Jinping stressed that managing the army according to law is the basic way for us to build the party and manage the army, and it is an inevitable requirement for realizing the party's goal of strengthening the army in the new era. It is necessary to implement the strategy of managing the army according to law, raise the level of rule of law in national defense and army building, and provide a strong legal guarantee for promoting the cause of strengthening the military.
President Xi's important speech caused strong repercussions among the delegates attending the meeting. The deputies unanimously felt that President Xi Jinping, standing at the height of the overall situation of strengthening the military industry in the new era, profoundly summed up the major progress made in the practice of managing the army according to law since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, systematically expounded the guiding principles and scientific connotations of the strategy of managing the army according to law, and clearly pointed out the practical requirements and key tasks for implementing the strategy of managing the army according to law. President Xi Jinping's important speech, with lofty intentions, profound thinking and rich connotations, scientifically answered a series of major theoretical and practical issues in governing the army according to law, enriched and developed the party's military guidance theory, is the deepening of Xi Jinping Thought on the rule of law in the field of national defense and the army, is an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on strengthening the army, is an in-depth mobilization to promote the full implementation of the strategic layout of strengthening the army in the new era, and points out the direction of progress and provides fundamental compliance for the implementation of the strategy of governing the army according to law.
The deputies said one after another that they should conscientiously study and implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important speech, thoroughly understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Army, closely link with the extraordinary vivid practice and tremendous achievements of the strong military cause in the new era, continuously deepen the understanding and understanding of the decisive significance of the "two establishments", enhance the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences", achieve "two safeguards", implement the responsibility system of the chairman of the Central Military Commission, and grasp the implementation of the annual work with a strong sense of mission and responsibility. Resolutely complete all the tasks entrusted by the party and the people, and greet the victory of the 20th National Congress of the Party with practical actions.
Q: According to reports, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage around the world, China has made a good start to the 14th Five-Year Plan, with a gdp growth of 8.1% for the whole year. Please provide further information on the arrangements for this year's defense budget.
A: President Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that a strong country must have a strong army, and only a strong military can ensure national security. Development and security are two sides of the same coin, and a rich country and a strong army are the unity of dialectics. The Chinese Government adheres to the principle of coordinated development of national defense construction and economic construction, and reasonably determines the scale of national defense expenditure according to national defense needs and the level of national economic development. In recent years, while maintaining sustained and healthy economic and social development, the Chinese government has maintained a reasonable and stable increase in defense expenditure overall, and promoted the simultaneous improvement of national defense strength and economic strength.
In 2022, the national fiscal arrangement national defense expenditure budget was 1,476.081 billion yuan (of which 1,450.450 billion yuan was arranged at the central level), an increase of 7.1% over the previous year's budget implementation. The increased national defense expenditure is mainly used in the following aspects: First, in accordance with the arrangements of the "14th Five-Year Plan" for army building, we will make every effort to ensure the implementation of planning tasks and accelerate the modernization of weapons and equipment. The second is to implement the strategy of strengthening the army with qualified personnel in the new era, and promote the comprehensive transformation and upgrading of military personnel's ability and quality, structural layout, and development management. The third is to deepen the reform of national defense and the armed forces, and ensure major reforms such as military policies and systems. The fourth is to adapt to the level of national economic and social development, continuously improve the working, training, and living conditions of the troops, and improve the living and welfare benefits of officers and men.
In accordance with the requirements of the National Defense Law, the Budget Law, and other laws and regulations, the Chinese Government includes the annual national defense expenditure budget in the draft government budget, which is examined and approved by the people's congress, managed and used in accordance with law, and the total amount of the national defense expenditure budget is announced to the outside world. China has actively participated in the United Nations military expenditure transparency system and has submitted to the United Nations every year since 2008 a report on military expenditures for the previous fiscal year. Some external forces hype up the so-called "invisible military expenditure", which is nothing more than a groundless fantasy.
Compared with military powers such as the United States, China's defense expenditure is still at a low level. China's defense expenditure is relatively low in terms of the proportion of gross domestic product (GDP), the proportion of state fiscal expenditure, the per capita national defense expenditure, and the per capita defense expenditure of military personnel.
China's increase in defense spending is necessary both to cope with complex security challenges and to fulfill the responsibilities of a major country. History has proved and will continue to prove that the Chinese armed forces have always been a staunch force in safeguarding national interests and safeguarding world peace. Maintaining a moderate and stable growth in China's defense expenditure is the aspiration of the people and the trend of the times.
Q: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Chinese military has provided epidemic prevention materials and COVID-19 vaccines to the armies of many countries. I would like to ask the spokesperson to further introduce the international cooperation of the Chinese armed forces in the fight against the epidemic.
A: The global outbreak of COVID-19 is a historical test facing the development of human civilization. In this arduous battle against the epidemic, the Chinese military, while fully supporting local epidemic prevention and control and doing a good job in its own epidemic prevention and control, has actively participated in international cooperation against the epidemic, contributing to the international community the strength of the Chinese army and demonstrating the responsibility of the Chinese army.
At the beginning of 2020, at the critical moment of China's anti-epidemic struggle, many foreign defense departments and militaries extended a helping hand to the Chinese side, more than 20 defense departments and military leaders from Pakistan, Belarus, Cambodia and other countries sent letters of condolences, Trinidad and Tobago, Mongolia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and other defense departments and armed forces urgently donated epidemic prevention materials and funds, and military attaches of foreign embassies in China and foreign students studying in China expressed their good wishes to help each other and share common hardships through videos and letters.
Up to now, in order to implement the important declaration of the Chairman of the Internship on the use of China's COVID-19 vaccine as a global public good, the Chinese military has successively provided COVID-19 vaccine assistance to the militaries of more than 30 countries, including Pakistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Lebanon, Hungary, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Bolivia. The Chinese military has carried out international cooperation in the fight against the epidemic with the militaries of more than 50 countries by providing material assistance for epidemic prevention, dispatching military anti-epidemic expert groups, and holding video conferences on epidemic prevention and control experience. The Chinese military's pragmatic measures to fulfill its international obligations and provide public safety products during the epidemic have been highly recognized and widely welcomed by the international community.
The virus knows no borders, the epidemic does not distinguish between races, and solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons to defeat the epidemic. The avenue is not alone, and germany will have neighbors. The Chinese military will continue to strengthen friendly cooperation with the defense departments and militaries of other countries, work together to overcome difficulties, let the sunshine of cooperation dispel the haze of the epidemic, use the strength of unity to protect the common homeland, and continue to make positive contributions to building a community of human health.
Question: The government work report submitted to the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberation points out that it is resolutely opposed to the separatist acts of "Taiwan independence" and resolutely opposes interference by external forces. According to reports, the DPP authorities have frequently hyped up the flight of continental army planes around Taiwan. The US side has once again sold weapons to Taiwan, US congressmen and former politicians have continued to visit Taiwan, and the United States and Japan have repeatedly made irresponsible remarks on Taiwan-related issues. What is the Spokesperson's comment?
A: There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. Compatriots on both sides of the strait are brothers with a common destiny and a family whose blood is thicker than water. We have always adhered to the principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" and are willing to do our utmost with the greatest sincerity to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification of the two sides of the strait, but we will never tolerate the splitting of the motherland by the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. The PLA's relevant training activities are aimed at "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and interference by external forces, and are by no means aimed at Taiwan compatriots.
Since the DPP authorities came to power, they have refused to recognize the "1992 Consensus," stepped up their "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, and at the same time colluded with external forces to seek "independence" provocations. Such acts have seriously harmed the well-being of The Taiwan compatriots and the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation, and are the root cause of the current tension and turmoil in the Taiwan Strait region. History has proved that many acts of injustice will kill themselves, and engaging in "Taiwan independence" is nothing more than a grasshopper shaking a tree, and in the end it can only kill itself.
The Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair and brooks no foreign interference. The attempt of the United States and Japan to realize their political plot of "using Taiwan to control China" by playing the "Taiwan card" is doomed to be a dream of Huang Liang that will be difficult to realize. The more the United States and Japan make a fuss over the Taiwan issue, the harder our actions to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity will become. It must be pointed out that the "Taiwan independence" separatist acts and the interference of external forces will not be tolerated by the Chinese People's Liberation Army and will be cracked down on when they show their faces.
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Source: Ministry of Defense Release
Editor 丨 Li Qingtong