In a fiery speech, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the Korean war against American forces, Chinese President Xi Jinping touted China’s resistance against the American forces.
Power Index: US The Most Dominant Military Power, China The Financial Super-Power
“Seventy years ago, the imperialist invaders fired upon the doorstep of a new China,” he said. “The Chinese people understood that you must use the language that invaders can understand – to fight war with war and to stop an invasion with force, earning peace and respect through victory.
The Chinese people will not create trouble but nor are we afraid of them, and no matter the difficulties or challenges we face, our legs will not shake and our backs will not bend.”
From 1950-53, North Korean forces, aided by the Chinese forces, fought a war against the US-led United Nation’s forces who were aiding South Korea at the time. This was the only war where the Chinese came face to face with Americans.
“Let the world know that ‘the people of China are now organised, and are not to be trifled with,” Xi said, quoting Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People’s Republic of China.
With tensions again brewing up between China and the US, even though he didn’t name the US, Jinping’s speech is a clear signal to the US. Washington has been warming up with Taipei and is supplying arms to defend itself against Beijing, that has warned to unify Taiwan with Mainland China even by force, if necessary.
Jinping stressed that there’s a need for rapid modernisation of the military to build a world-class military.
“In today’s world, any unilateralism, protectionism, and ideology of extreme self-interest are totally unworkable, and any blackmailing, blockades and extreme pressure are totally unworkable,” he said. “Any actions that focus only on oneself and any efforts to engage in hegemony and bullying will simply not work – not only will it not work, but it will be a dead end.”
Chinese state-owned tabloid, Global Times (GT), in its editorial, raved about the Chinese win in the Korean war over the American forces. “The Korean War is often called the “Forgotten War” in the US. Many people would rather forget it because the US lost the war. In recent years, theories that the US won the war have emerged. This is how the US-style ideology shapes the discourse,” it said.
According to Chinese official record, Over 190,000 Chinese soldiers died in the war. The tabloid stated that even back then when China was a poorer country, it managed to resist US aggression and today it is well equipped to challenge the US.
“When China was very poor, it didn’t surrender to US pressure and stood out to resist and finally defeat the US on the Korean Peninsula. Today, China has grown to be a strong country, so there is no reason for China to fear the US threats and suppression,” the editorial concluded.
