Saamana editorial raises concern over China's three million new army recruits

Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' has expressed concerns over China's recent announcement about the recruitment of 3 million young soldiers and 'taking the lead in the future war'. It implies that China nurtures a strong will to become the world superpower and this recent declaration should be taken seriously by all the countries, especially India.

Mumbai:Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' has expressed concerns over China's recent announcement about recruitment of 3 million young soldiers and 'taking the lead in the future war'.

The editorial highlighted China's covert imperialistic foreign policies that has become a matter of concern for nations, especially India. It added that since Xi Jinping has become the president, there has been a huge increase in the belligerent activities by China. "The recent announcement that President Jinping has made should be a grave matter of concern for the entire world," it read.

According to the article, the Chinese government recently held a three-day summit for the Chinese military forces in Beijing, wherein the president declared that three million new recruits will be added in the forces. What was surprising about this announcement was that China - a country that otherwise maintains utmost secrecy about all its decisions - has made this announcement openly. The article puts emphasis on this fact and says that this could be a dangerous implication.

Going further, it quoted what President Jinping said in his speech at the military meeting - "The high quality of Chinese military, winning military competitions with other countries and taking lead in the future wars is the key to the progress of the Chinese Armed Forces." From this statement, the article stresses that China has used the language of war against the whole world. It highlighted that the president has used 'China will take the lead in the war in future' without resorting to 'if there is a war', and that no head of state or foreign minister has yet reported a problem against this potentially dangerous implication.

It further pointed out that the year 2027 is the centenary year of the Chinese Army People's Liberation Army, and that China had set the goal of completely modernising China's armed forces as well as recruiting youth in the army on a large scale. Every year, China spends a staggering $ 209 billion on its military and is the only country in the world to budget such a huge amount annually for military expenditure. The article, therefore, suggests that all the countries should now focus on strengthening the ability to win war and to modernize their scientific and technological capabilities and knowledge.

It concluded on the note that China nurtures a strong will to become the world superpower and this recent declaration should not be mistaken as a mere firing in the air. It also said that the UNO should take notice of this declaration, without forgetting that the deadly Coronavirus had also originated from the same country and has caused devastation in the entire world.

Regarding India, it said that China is always in the throes of war and its frequent intrusions into the border areas like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladakh needed to be kept under surveillance.