Peaceful rise does not mean troops aren't ready to defend China, says expert

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By CGTN's Dialogue

It is a mistake to assume that China's adoption of a peaceful development path means its troops aren't ready to fight if necessary, according to a Chinese military expert.

“There’s a misunderstanding about policies that peaceful development maybe means we’re not ready to fight…that misunderstanding will lead to miscalculation and provocation,” says Xu Hui, a professor from the Beijing-based National Defense University.

The comments come as China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) celebrates its 90th anniversary on August 1.

To mark the event, a grand military parade was held on Sunday at the Zhurihe military training base in Inner Mongolia, north China.

While the army has seen massive changes in its nine decades and a program of military reform continues, Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking after he reviewed the PLA troops at the parade, was keen to point out that its main aim was safeguarding peace.

"The world is far from being tranquil and peace needs to be safeguarded," he said.

Despite the fact that the PLA has not engaged in real combat in the last 30 years, China's armed forces are however prepared to fight when it comes to protecting national security.

"The PLA has the confidence and capability to defeat all invading enemies and safeguard China's national sovereignty, security and development interests," said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Dialogue with Yang Rui is a 30-minute current affairs talk show on CGTN. It airs daily at 7.30 p.m. BJT (1130GMT), with rebroadcasts at 3.30 a.m. (1930GMT) and 11.30 a.m. (0330GMT).