Xi Jinping Demands Absolute Loyalty From Military Commanders

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for increased loyalty and combat readiness among his troops during an inspection of a command center on Tuesday, where he repeated warnings about "instability and uncertainty" in China's national security environment.

Xi's appearance at the Central Military Commission's joint operations command center was his first since being reelected CMC chair, the country's commander in chief, at the Chinese Communist Party's 20th National Congress last month, where he also retained the top job as CCP general secretary for a norm-busting third time.

China's military command structure should aim to be "absolutely loyal, good at fighting, efficient in command and capable of winning," Xi said, according to the official news service Xinhua.

He also called on the military leadership to "enhance troop training and combat readiness, and effectively fulfil its missions and tasks in the new era," the release said.

As the top defense organ of both China and its ruling party, with the same personnel throughout, the CMC is among the organizations operating under the country's "one institution with two names" principle. Xi's position atop the CMC also signifies his comprehensive control over all national defense matters.

Since 2015, China's president has used this role to implement institutional reforms to the military in order to exert stronger practical and ideological control over the People's Liberation Army, which he has put on a path of modernization by 2027, the PLA's centennial.

Xi's stated long-term goal, which he may not live to see, is the elevation of the Chinese armed forces to "world-class" standards by 2049, the centennial of the People's Republic of China.

Xi reaffirmed these ambitions at last month's party congress, where he also said Beijing would "become more adept at deploying our military forces on a regular basis and in diversified ways."

The PLA would "remain both steadfast and flexible as it carries out its operations. This will enable us to shape our security posture, deter and manage crises and conflicts, and win local wars," he said.

Xi's Watchword

During his command center inspection, the Chinese leader repeated his assessment that "great changes unseen in a century" were occurring at an accelerated rate, according to Xinhua. Observers interpreted the phrase as presenting China with both opportunities and risks.

"The instability and uncertainty of China's security situation have increased," he told military leaders, mirroring his two-hour party congress speech, in which he said the country was in a period where "strategic opportunities, risks and challenges are concurrent and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising."

Long-time China watchers noticed an increase in the number of times Xi used the word "security" and "safety"—both ānquán in Chinese—at the CCP's twice-a-decade gathering, effectively elevating national security above other priorities such as economic development.

For many, however, the most significant indicator of Beijing's pessimism about its external environment came from the omission of a single phrase that, prior to last month, had been included in every party congress report since 2002—that China was enjoying a "period of strategic opportunity."

Implications of this assessment included the Chinese leadership's belief that a major war, though undesirable, was possible, if not likely. It was no coincidence that Xi's new outlook coincided with historically low trust between Beijing and Washington, which face tensions over a number of potential flashpoints including Taiwan.

"We must therefore be more mindful of potential dangers, be prepared to deal with worst-case scenarios, and be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms," Xi told party delegates on October 16.

Xi's words signify that "challenges and opportunities will coexist with the tough situations in the future," said Si-fu Ou, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Taiwan's top military think tank, and director of its Chinese politics, military and warfighting division.

"In CCP jargon, it means there are more challenges than opportunities," he told Newsweek.

"Xi worries that today's Russia is tomorrow's China. With the help of Western countries, the Ukrainian forces have smashed Vladimir Putin's dream of 'Greater Russia,'" he argued. "This is Xi's nightmare, that the playbook perhaps will repeat itself in the Taiwan Strait."

The United States is Taiwan's strongest international backer but maintains an official policy of "strategic ambiguity," neither committing to nor ruling out the possibility of coming to the island's defense. President Joe Biden, however, has stated on at least three occasions that American forces would intervene in a Taiwan crisis.

"Washington has defined China as its most consequential strategic competitor and is more eager to come to Taiwan's rescue," Ou said.

"Beijing is concerned the U.S. has shifted from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity in terms of Taiwan's defense, and that is main sources of Beijing's pessimistic outlook on China's security environment," he said.

Update 11/10/22, 3:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated with further context.