JAKARTA - China is commemorating 70 years of their joining in the Korean War against United States (US) troops. Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would never allow its sovereignty, security and development interests to be undermined.
Quoting Reuters on Friday, October 23, Xi Jinping did not directly refer to his relationship with the US which has been at its lowest point in decades due to various disputes. In 2020, the US-China is experiencing a range of disputes, from trade and technology to human rights and COVID-19.
Taiwan has become a point of growing contention and military tension. "Let the world know that the Chinese people are now organized, and should not be taken lightly," Xi Jinping said in the Great Hall of the People, quoting Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People's Republic of China.
Unilateralism, protectionism and intimidation will fail, Xi Jinping said at a memorial to deploying Chinese troops to the Korean Peninsula to help North Korea fight US and South Korean-led forces during the 1950-53 conflict. Xi Jinping repeated his call to accelerate the modernization of the country's defense and armed forces.
"Without a strong army, there can be no strong motherland," said Xi Jinping.
China has seen tensions that have risen sharply in recent months with Taiwan. The heating up of China-Taiwan relations has intensified after the US increased sales of military hardware to Taiwan.
The US also sent high-level officials to visit Taipei. This week, the US approved a sale of weapons systems worth up to $ 1.8 billion, which has angered China.
China, which regards Taiwan as a recalcitrant province, has applied increasing pressure to accept Chinese sovereignty. This includes flying fighter jets across the center line of the Taiwan Strait.
North Korea went to war in 1950 with South Korea, which is supported by United Nations (UN) forces made up mostly of US troops. In October 1950, Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River on the border with North Korea while the Soviet Union provided air cover. More than 2 million Chinese troops are deployed.
"After a difficult battle, the Chinese and Korean forces, fully armed, defeated their opponents, shattered myths about the invincibility of the US military, and forced the invaders to sign a ceasefire agreement on July 27, 1953," Xi Jinping said.
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