Old Video Viral as Xi Jinping's Message To Strengthen Troops Against Taiwan

This video shows Xi Jinping addressing service personnel at the start of a fresh round of training in 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged troops to enhance their readiness for conflict, following extensive military exercises near Taiwan by Beijing, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

In the midst of this, a video is circulating, featuring images of Chinese soldiers standing in formation and Xi Jinping giving a speech. People are posting this video and claiming that he commanded the military to get ready for war.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: No, this claim is false.

• The video was taken in 2018, featuring the president speaking to 7,000 service members as China initiated a new phase of military exercises.

• Jinping had highlighted the importance of practical combat training and laid emphasis on achieving victory in wars.

What we found: We divided the video into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• We came across the same video on The Guardian's official YouTube channel from 4 January 2018.

• It was uploaded with the title, "Chinese army puts on show of military might for Xi Jinping"

• The Guardian noted, "China’s president addresses 7,000 service personnel as the country starts a fresh round of training in Hebei province, just outside Beijing. Xi stressed the importance of real-combat training and winning wars." (sic)

• We also came across a report by the same news outlet which featured frames of the video. It was also from 2018.

• In this meeting, Jinping noted, "The military should “create an elite and powerful force that is always ready for the fight, capable of combat and sure to win in order to fulfill the tasks bestowed by the Party and the people in the new era."

Tension in Taiwan: China's military started a live-fire drill close to Taiwan to continue putting pressure on the island, following extensive drills. Jinping urged troops to be ready for war on 22 October.

• This month, it deployed aircraft and naval vessels near the island as a response to what Beijing described as a strong message against actions promoting 'Taiwan Independence'.

• Taiwan's Defence Ministry stated that it was closely observing China's "military activities and intentions" in reaction to the drills, reported AFP via The Hindu

Conclusion: An old video from 2018 is being shared and linked to Jinping's recent message about strengthening troops.

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