President Xi Jinping has promised to transform the Chinese military into a “Great Wall of Steel” capable of protecting China’s interests abroad while he also emphasised the need for greater stability and security at home.
Xi’s remarks came in his closing speech to the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament, where last week he secured unanimous backing for an unprecedented third term in office.
Despite recently cementing his status as one of contemporary China’s most powerful leaders, Xi alluded to the many challenges facing China as it navigates a post-zero-COVID landscape, a slowing economy, and a more challenging relationship with the West, particularly the United States.
“Security is the bedrock of development, while stability is a prerequisite for prosperity,” Xi told the assembly of 3,000 delegates on Monday.
He also stressed the need for an improved “national security system,” an improved “social governance system”, and the safeguarding of “China’s new development pattern with a new security architecture”.
The speech reflected similar concerns shared during the Communist Party’s 20th National Congress in October, when Xi used the word “security” 91 times, according to the US-based Brookings Institution.
