China’s leader has told its military to step up its preparedness for armed combat, as relations with Australia and the US continue to deteriorate.
Speaking on the sidelines of the National People's Congress, President Xi Jinping said the coronavirus pandemic is affecting China’s military standing, saying the country’s defence forces need to up their preparedness for armed combat.
“It is necessary to explore ways of training and preparing for war because epidemic control efforts have been normalised,” Xi was quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency. China is Australia’s largest trading partner, while the US is one of our key strategic allies. But Beijing warned any show of support for the latter will deliver our economy a “fatal blow”.
“This is why Canberra needs to closely watch Washington's attacks which include placing Chinese firms on its sanctions backlist.
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