By Ankit Panda
China’s military celebrates its 88th anniversary as it prepares for new threats.
On Saturday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) turned 88, a particularly auspicious number given the connotations associated with the number eight in Chinese culture. As the PLA celebrated 88 years since its founding on August 1, 1927, its official newspaper, the PLA Daily, reportedly stressed growing threats to the integrity of China’s borders, including its disputed maritime claims in the East and South China Seas.
According to Reuters, the PLA Daily ran a front page editorial emphasizing a growing risk environment for China. ”The situation surrounding our country is generally stable, but the risks and challenges are extremely severe, and the possibility of chaos and war on our doorstep has increased,” it said. ”The maritime security environment is more complicated, and the undercurrents in the East and South China Seas have been gushing up,” the PLA Daily editorial continued.
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