On Jan. 28, Xi Jinping visited the joint battle command center of the Central Command Theater in Beijing. This gesture seemed an alert to the U.S. military at a time when Ukraine-Russian tension is high. However, the party media reports gave the opposite signal.
In his address, Xi said to keep a good image, strengthen security, and ensure epidemic prevention and control, on top of his routine indoctrination of strong Party military ideology, strategy, construction, and combat readiness, for the new era and before the upcoming Party national meeting.
As a concluding remark, Xi emphasized the troops should engage in combat readiness in order to maintain the stability of society, as well as prevention and control of the pandemic, for the Chinese New Year and the 2022 Winter Olympics.
From the media’s report, Xi was more into domestic control to safeguard the upcoming Party’s rubber-stamp legislature meeting, and the Beijing Olympics, in the height of the pandemic in China.
A previous inspection of a military command center that was made public was on April 20, 2016, when Xi visited the CMC (Central Military Commission) joint battle command center.
In his 2016 inspection, Xi carried a much tougher tone in his talk.
He focused on the core function of studying combat and command of the center—absolutely loyal, resourceful in fighting, efficient in commanding, and courageous and capable of winning wars—the ultimate goal of a stronger Chinese army that aims at winning.
Beijing is home to both the CMC joint battle command center and the joint battle command center of the Central Command Theater.
The joint battle command center of the Central Command Theater is one of the five theaters’ joint battle command centers. All five joint battle command centers are under the umbrella of the CMC joint battle command center.
Xi’s inspection of a subordinating command center this year seems to deliver a message to the international community that his focus is on domestic issues. When his “winning wars” was not heard in his remark this year, it further signals that he has no intention to cause trouble in the Taiwan Strait by taking advantage of a possible invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Obviously, the United States and its allies are stepping up their deterrence against the regime’s aggression.
I believe that getting a third term of the Party’s leadership would be Xi Jinping’s first priority in 2022. He would try very hard not to provoke disputes in the international arena. His recent military combat center inspection probably carried the similar message.
Of course, rather than paying attention to the message, the United States and its allies would only continue their effective deterrence effort.