The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee team up for coming-of-age film 'Soulmate'

  • 3

    Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth'

  • 5

    SM to introduce multi-production system to increase business capabilities

  • 7

    Plan to construct new memorial center for ex-president faces backlash

  • 9

    First lady expands presence in domestic politics

  • 11

    'Ant-Man 3' promises bigger, better action with same family dynamic: cast

  • 13

    Able C&C sale attracts dozens of potential buyers

  • 15

    Seoul to discuss reforming free transportation benefits for seniors

  • 17

    Yoon's office to press charges over report on fortune teller

  • 19

    Britain's trade with N. Korea more than doubles last year: report

  • 2

    Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars

  • 4

    Itaewon tragedy's bereaved families harassed by far-right protesters

  • 6

    Too many emergency text alerts? Gov't to halt daily COVID-19 notifications

  • 8

    Discussions on raising age for free subway rides gain momentum

  • 10

    Ex-justice minister gets 2-year prison term for academic irregularities surrounding family

  • 12

    Apple Pay can be launched in Korea: financial regulator

  • 14

    FSC OKs Apple Pay to be available in Korea

  • 16

    Naver to roll out conversational AI service

  • 18

    Naver 2022 net profit down 96% on one-off factor

  • 20

    SEMICON Korea defies chip industry downturn

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
Sun, February 5, 2023 | 03:02
SCMP
China 'ready to fight', Xi says in Korean War address aimed at US
Posted : 2020-10-23 16:53
Updated : 2020-10-23 17:11
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
China's President Xi Jinping speaks while taking part in an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the Korean War at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 23, 2020. REUTERS-Yonhap
China's President Xi Jinping speaks while taking part in an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the Korean War at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 23, 2020. REUTERS-Yonhap

By Sarah Zheng

China's President Xi Jinping speaks while taking part in an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the Korean War at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 23, 2020. REUTERS-Yonhap
Chinese president Xi Jinping warned the US that China did not fear war in a fiercely nationalistic and pointed speech marking the 70th anniversary of China's entry into the Korean war against American forces, amid ever-escalating tensions between the major powers.

Speaking from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, Xi touted the war to "resist US aggression and aid Korea" from 1950 to 1953 ― the only military conflict between China and the United States ― as a demonstration of China's military might against American imperialists.

"Seventy years ago, the imperialist invaders fired upon the doorstep of a new China," he said. "The Chinese people understood that you must use the language that invaders can understand ― to fight war with war and to stop an invasion with force, earning peace and respect through victory. The Chinese people will not create trouble but nor are we afraid of them, and no matter the difficulties or challenges we face, our legs will not shake and our backs will not bend."

Xi stressed that "any country and any army, no matter how powerful they used to be" ― a clear jab at the US ― would see their actions "battered" if they stood against the international community. He added that China needed to accelerate its military modernisation to build a world-class military, and to ensure that the ruling Chinese Communist Party maintained "absolute leadership" over the military.

China's President Xi Jinping speaks while taking part in an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the Korean War at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 23, 2020. REUTERS-Yonhap
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, attends ceremony to commemorating the 70th anniversary of China?s entry into the 1950-53 Korean War, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 23, 2020. AFP-Yonhap

"In today's world, any unilateralism, protectionism, and ideology of extreme self-interest are totally unworkable, and any blackmailing, blockades and extreme pressure are totally unworkable," he said. "Any actions that focus only on oneself and any efforts to engage in hegemony and bullying will simply not work ― not only will it not work, but it will be a dead end."

The Chinese leader's remarks, made less than two weeks ahead of the US election, coincided with a fiery debate between US president Donald Trump and former vice-president Joe Biden, in which the two sounded off over who would better tackle the challenges of a rising China.

Xi's speech, the latest in a series of heavily promoted events on the Korean war in the midst of flaring US-China tensions, also came ahead of next week's Fifth Plenum, the party's key meeting that will chart out the country's political, economic and social development over the next five years.

Earlier in the week, Xi ― during a visit to the Korean war exhibition in Beijing ― urged the Chinese people to "keep faith in their ultimate victory" and to "prevail over all enemies", in what was also seen as a clear signal to the US.

China's President Xi Jinping speaks while taking part in an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the Korean War at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 23, 2020. REUTERS-Yonhap
In this June 29, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, western Japan. AP

Xie Maosong, a political scientist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Xi's speech carried a clear message of China's readiness to fight back, ahead of Sunday's anniversary of the first engagement between Chinese and US forces during the Korean war.

Remembered as the Battle of Onjong, the People's Volunteer Army (PVA) 40th Corps on 25 October 1950 conducted a series of ambushes against Republic of Korea (ROK) troops, destroying the right flank of the US Eighth Army while stopping their northward advance towards the China-Korea border.

"His previous speech was more subtle," Xie said. "Xi's speech today ― ahead of the anniversary of Chinese PVA troops firing their first shot and having the first win ― is clearly aimed to send a 'we will fight and we will win again' message to the Chinese people, as China is facing growing pressure from the US now."

The strategic rivalry between China and the US has intensified over trade, technology, the coronavirus pandemic, battling ideologies as well as Beijing's actions in the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet. Analysts have warned that the risk of war has grown, even as a full-blown military conflict remains against the interests of both sides.


 
Top 10 Stories
1Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars Teens feel peer pressure to buy luxury goods endorsed by K-pop stars
2Itaewon tragedy's bereaved families harassed by far-right protesters Itaewon tragedy's bereaved families harassed by far-right protesters
3Too many emergency text alerts? Gov't to halt daily COVID-19 notifications Too many emergency text alerts? Gov't to halt daily COVID-19 notifications
4Plan to construct new memorial center for ex-president faces backlash Plan to construct new memorial center for ex-president faces backlash
5Discussions on raising age for free subway rides gain momentum Discussions on raising age for free subway rides gain momentum
6First lady expands presence in domestic politics First lady expands presence in domestic politics
7Able C&C sale attracts dozens of potential buyers Able C&C sale attracts dozens of potential buyers
8FSC OKs Apple Pay to be available in Korea FSC OKs Apple Pay to be available in Korea
9Naver to roll out conversational AI service Naver to roll out conversational AI service
10SEMICON Korea defies chip industry downturn SEMICON Korea defies chip industry downturn
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee team up for coming-of-age film 'Soulmate' Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee team up for coming-of-age film 'Soulmate'
2Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth' Park Hyung-sik to play crown prince in tvN series 'Our Blooming Youth'
3'Ant-Man 3' promises bigger, better action with same family dynamic: cast 'Ant-Man 3' promises bigger, better action with same family dynamic: cast
4[INTERVIEW] Disney+ 'Big Bet' director on portraying greed and desire INTERVIEWDisney+ 'Big Bet' director on portraying greed and desire
5TXT, Le Sserafim top Oricon album and singles chart TXT, Le Sserafim top Oricon album and singles chart
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group