XI Jinping has ordered China to prepare for war as he warned his nation's security situation is "increasingly unstable".

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XI Jinping has ordered China to prepare for war as he warned his nation's security situation is "increasingly unstable".

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/20361426/ ... e-for-war/

XI Jinping has ordered China to prepare for war as he warned his nation's security situation is "increasingly unstable".

In a chilling escalation, the Chinese dictator declared that Beijing will "comprehensively strengthen its military training and preparation for any war".
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According to state broadcaster CCTV, Xi said the move was sparked by China's "increasingly unstable and uncertain" security.

It comes amid fears China - which has the second-largest economy and military in the world - is preparing to invade the self-governing island of Taiwan.

Tensions between the two nations have hit boiling point in recent months, with Bejing continuing to flex its military muscles by launching jets into Taiwan's airspace and firing missiles in haunting drills.

Xi has vowed to "unify" Taiwan - and experts believe he is "all but guaranteed" to attack the nation after becoming leader for life.

Taiwan is feared to be a major flashpoint between the Washington and Beijing - with a potential invasion forcing the US to either abandon the island or face full scale war with China.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take back the nation - by force if necessary - while Joe Biden recently promised the US will defend the island.

Taiwan is effectively an independent country, though not recognised by the internationally, but any moves towards full independence will almost certainly lead to war.

China's Communist Party made its plans clear last month when it added a line to its constitution on "resolutely opposing and deterring" Taiwan's independence and bringing in a policy of "one country, two systems".

Just last week, new photos revealed for the first time just how far China's militarisation has escalated in the South China Sea.

Chilling images showed the massive sprawl of Chinese military operations on the man-made islands - which are armed to the teeth with deadly hardware including missile aircraft, flight hangars, and spy planes.

The largest of the islands in the archipelago, Taiping Island, is currently controlled by Taiwan - which is at the centre of invasion plans being drawn up by Beijing.

And earlier this year, China reportedly sounded their chilling "war signal" in official circles - which was issued before their last two major conflicts.

The phrase, "don’t say we didn’t warn you", has now been frequently referred to in discussions amid the soaring tensions.

Over the summer a visit by US politician Nancy Pelosi to the island resulted in massive Chinese military exercises.

Pelosi is a vocal supporter of Taiwan - and her trip to the island made her the most senior US politician to visit Taiwan in a quarter of a century, which infuriated China.

Beijing views any engagement between Washington and Taipei as a US endorsement of the island's independence.

Washington has always stopped short of outright backing for Taiwan in the event of war with China or supported independence for the island.

It comes as an anti-ship hypersonic missile made its debut as China showed off its latest warplanes and cutting-edge weapons during the opening of an air show on Tuesday.

CUTTING-EDGE WEAPONS
The missile is a version of China’s YJ-21 - and has a combat range of more than 1,240miles.

Military experts said the weapon’s appearance at Airshow China could be seen as a chilling warning to the United States on Taiwan.

Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of Kanwa Asian Defence, told the South China Morning Post: "The showcase of YJ-21 at the air show aims at warning the US not to intervene in Beijing’s plan to take Taiwan back by force, as none of the US sea-based air defence systems are able to intercept the hypersonic missile."

Song Zhongping, a former People's Liberation Army instructor, added that the purpose of showing off the YJ-21 was to act as a deterrence rather than generate sales.

While Beijing may be preparing for a lightning war to storm across the Taiwan Strait and capture the island, experts have said the war could be anything but quick.

With tough beaches, rocky terrain, well-drilled defenders, and unforgiving seas, China could face the same brutal grinding warfare that Russia is facing in Ukraine.

Taking Taiwan could even require Beijing to muster a force of two million troops, it's been claimed.

But last month, US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday warned China could take Washington by surprise and invade Taiwan as soon as this year.

“When we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window,” Gilday told the Atlantic Council.

"I don’t mean at all to be alarmist... it’s just that we can’t wish that away.”

He added: "It's not just what Jinping says, it's how the Chinese behave and what they do.

"What we've seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they've made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it."

The comments came after US secretary of state Antony Blinken said China was "determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline" after deciding the status quo was "no longer acceptable".
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