China’s president orders military to upgrade to “world class” standards

Chinese President Xi Jinping made the remarks Wednesday in a ceremonial parliament meeting about the People’s Liberation Army and the country’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police. Xi’s speech came just days after China’s new Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, said the United States is headed toward military conflict with China, and just days after the Chinese government said it would increase its military budget by just over 7 percent.

What else does Xi want for the country? He said that China needed to become more self-reliant in science and technology and that it should bolster its supply chains. Last year, Xi said that China needed to assemble an arsenal of strong “deterrent” capabilities and increase military training. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Wednesday that China is an “unparalleled priority” for the U.S. intelligence community. Haines’ office recently released its Annual Threat Assessment, in which China is credited with the capability to alter the “rules-based global order.”

Dig deeper: Read William Inboden’s column in WORLD Opinions about whether Beijing’s recent spy balloon fiasco will wake Americans up to the threat China poses.