CHINA-SOUTH CHINA SEA
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The People's Daily on February quoted the PLA's new South Theatre Commander, General Wang Jiaocheng as saying “The military will be capable of dealing with any security threat. No country will be allowed to use any excuse or action to threaten China’s sovereignty and safety.” General Wang Jiaocheng, who previously commanded the Shenyang region, said his aim was to “ensure security in border controls and maritime defence, but the foremost mission is to safeguard rights and interests in the South China Sea.” General Wang said the PLA had planned for all possible scenarios regarding military risks in the region.Reiterating his “absolute loyalty” to the Party, General Wang Jiaocheng stressed the importance of winning the “information war” and vowed to build an army that was “courageous and able to fight”. He said the theatre commands were established to deal with the challenges posed by the new international order. The previous system had failed to promote military integration, which had become a “systematic obstacle for the PLA to win wars”. Separately, Ni Leixiong a Shanghai-based Chinese military analyst and Director of the Sea Power and Defence Policy Research Institute at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, observed that “Any country in China’s position would do this, especially now China is building more military facilities and facing more complicated challenges in the region – such as the possibility that more countries, for example India or Japan, might get involved.”
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