Remarks by China's Defense Attaché Senior Colonel ZHANG Su at Online Events
in Celebration of the 94th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Liberation Army of China
2021/07/27
August 1st this year marks the 94th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China.
The PLA was established and led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). This year also marks the centenary of the CPC. In the summer of 1921, the CPC entered the historical arena. On August 1st 1927, the CPC led the Nanchang Uprising, and for the first time in the history of China founded a military truly belonging to the Chinese people. Remaining true to the Party's original aspiration and mission for seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, the PLA has traveled over a glorious journey of 94 years. Through numerous battles and countless hardships, the people's military has been advancing with courage. It has made tremendous and historic contributions to securing our nation's independence, liberating our people, safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, protecting world peace and promoting human development.
China has realized its first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and is now marching toward the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects. The Chinese nation has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and that China's national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability. A strong country must have a strong military, as only then can it guarantee the security of the nation. On the journey ahead, the PLA will fully implement the CPC's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era and our military strategy for the new era, unswervingly follow a path to military development with Chinese characteristics, so as to accelerate the modernization of national defense and the armed forces, and make great efforts to elevate our people's military to world-class standards.
China will remain committed to promoting peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, to an independent foreign policy of peace, and to the path of peaceful development. We will work to build a new type of international relations and a human community with a shared future. No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will always strive to maintain world peace, promote global growth, and uphold international order. China's military will always be a force of justice for world peace and development. In April 1990, China dispatched five military observers to the UNTSO and embarked on a new voyage as a participant in the UNPKOs. Over the past three decades, China's military have sent over 40,000 peacekeepers to 25 UN peacekeeping missions. The Chinese "Blue Helmets" have become a key force in UNPKOs. Since December 2008, the PLA has dispatched 38 convoys to regular vessel escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia. The PLA Navy has been bringing peace to the once pirate-laden ocean and protecting the SLOCs. Moreover, China's military, in conformity with Chinese President Xi Jinping's important announcement that the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines should be a "global public good", has donated COVID-19 vaccines to the militaries of dozens of countries. The PLA has taken the responsibility of a military of a major country through its substantial actions in fighting the pandemic.
China has established innovative comprehensive partnership with Israel. In recent years, pragmatic cooperation between the two countries have been making progress. China's military is willing to make joint efforts with Israel defense establishment and the IDF so as to maintain the China-Israel relationship on a healthy and stable development track.
A Letter of Congratulation on China's Army Day from the International Cooperation Division of the Israel Defense Forces
