A senior general representing China at a top international security forum said that his big regret is never having had a chance to fight in a war, according to a forum participant who recorded the general’s comments. The provocative statement comes at a time when the United States is urging Beijing to curb its aggressive militarization of the South China Sea.
Mattis was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security forum in Singapore. Each year the forum attracts the top policymakers in the defense and security community of countries across the western Pacific.
In response, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Lieutenant General He Lei, who is the vice-president of the Academy of Military Science and represented the Chinese regime’s position at the forum, fired back at a session later that day that he found Mattis’ comment “irresponsible” and that he would not shy away from fighting in a real war.
“I am retiring soon. My one big regret is that I never had a chance to fight in a war. But that’s because China has been peaceful for over 30 years,” He said, while repeating several times in the same speech his wish for a chance to go into combat.
Ian Easton, a research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute said that He’s statements seem to be yet another example of Beijing using its military as an instrument of propaganda.
“The PLA is the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party, not a professional military that serves the people and protects the national constitution. Real professional soldiers would never pine for war. They would cherish peace,” Easton said.
“Perhaps the general [He Lei] should hope his children can have the same regret in 2048,” retired U.S. Marines Corps Lieutenant General Wallace Gregson said.
Secretary Mattis has vowed that the United States will push back against Beijing’s aggression, amid growing concerns that the U.S. presence and security assurances across the western Pacific region are being eroded by the Chinese regime’s encroachments.
