Ominous Weibo Post quickly gains popularity amid increasing tensions with the US about Taiwan
A Chinese army group’s post about “preparing for war”It was approved by hundreds of thousands on Weibo on Friday. Though it comes as Beijing has warned Washington against provocations over Taiwan, the post may be entirely innocuous – and refer to the upcoming anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army and a line from President Xi Jinping’s speech, according to the state outlet Global Times.
A message containing just two characters in Mandarin was posted on Friday on the Weibo page of the PLA’s 80th Group Army, headquartered in Weifang, Shandong province. This message received nearly 20,000 positive comments and over 300,000 positive reaction.
It could also be translated into “prepare for war”Or “ready to fight,”Global Times however, stated that the translation is correct. “Preparing for war!”
Xi has previously said that only those capable of fighting can stop battles from starting, and only those prepared for war don’t have to stumble into one, said the outlet, which is the English-language subsidiary of People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party of China.
In a commentary, the 80th Group Army added additional context by stating that “we must bear in mind the fundamental responsibility of preparing for war and charge on the journey of a strong army.”
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China warns US not to ‘play with fire’
August 1 will mark the 95th anniversary of the PLA’s founding, and the Chinese military is busily preparing to celebrate. But, this Weibo message comes just a week after the call between Xi, US President Joe Biden. In which, the Chinese leader sent a strong message to America.
“Those who play with fire will perish by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this,”According to Chinese readings of the conversation, Xi said that he had spoken with Biden. Xi said that Beijing was strongly opposed to any form of Taiwanese independenceism.
Biden has insisted that US policy toward the island is unchanged, but he didn’t deny rumors that Nancy Pelosi (D.California House Speaker) will be visiting Taiwan in August.
According to some reports, the Pentagon has developed a “contingency plan” to send additional ships and fighter jets to the region, while China has threatened the US with “unbearable consequences”Should the visit proceed, some pundits would advocate attacking Taiwan as a response. “provocation.”
Beijing officially considers the island China’s sovereign territory, which will be reintegrated in due course. Taiwan was under the command of Kuomintang nationalists, who fled the mainland in support from the US after the Chinese civil war with the PLA.
