On the afternoon of May 9, 2026, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, Deputy Director-General of the Information Office of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Spokesperson for the MND, answers recent media queries concerning the military. (mod.gov.cn)
(The following English text is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)
Jiang Bin: I have a piece of news to announce at the top.
China-Thailand Strike 2026 joint army training will be held in Thailand in mid-and-late May. Focusing on the theme of Joint Counter-terrorism Operations in Mountains and Jungles, Chinese and Thai troops will form mixed teams to train on such subjects as combat casualty care, operating procedures for unmanned equipment, and live-fire shooting. Strike 2026 will be the eighth iteration of its kind between the two armies, which aims to continuously deepen bilateral friendship and cooperation, and enhance the troops' capabilities in joint counter-terrorism operations.
Journalist: Recently, President Xi wrote a reply letter to the representatives of those awarded the China Youth May Fourth Medal and the New Era Youth Pioneer Honor, which received a warm response within the military. Please brief us on how the troops are studying and implementing the important spirit of the letter ?
Jiang Bin: On the occasion of the Youth Day on May 4, President Xi extended festive greetings and expressed his high expectations to young people of all ethnic groups across the country. He encouraged the youth to nourish lofty ideals, stay committed to hard work, integrate their personal pursuits into the overall development of the country, strive for new achievements in their respective posts, and contribute to the country's journey ahead.
Units across the military have thoroughly studied and implemented the important spiritof President Xi's message, andorganizedrelevant activities in diverse forms, including themed lectures, story-sharing sessions, and reports on exemplarydeeds. The aim of such events is to guide young officers and soldiers to unswervingly follow the Party's lead, and strive to grow into outstandingyoung people of the new erawho have lofty ideals, the courage to take on responsibilities, the resilience to endure hardships and the will to forge ahead. Focusing on the theme of "Serve the Country with Youth, Strengthen the Military through Dedication", the PLA has launched themed publicity campaigns to highlightthe deeds and spirit of absolute loyalty to the Party and relentless perseverancein tackling tough challenges. These efforts reflect the renewed conduct, vibrant morale and upright ethosof the people's armed forces, andinspire young officers and soldiers to shoulder the responsibilities of the times and undertake their important missions with greater political commitment and passion. Encouraged by President Xi's message, young military personnel have shown even greater enthusiasm to dedicate themselves to their work and make contributions in their posts. Officers and soldiers stationed across snow-capped plateau and open seas, on frontline missions and at training grounds, as well as in combat units and research institutes, have cultivated a deep sense of patriotism and relentlessly honed their capabilities to fight and win. They have remained fully-prepared at their posts to defend the homeland, and taken the lead in building a strong military. Through concrete actions, they continue to carry forward the revolutionary traditions and demonstrate the vigor of youth.
Where the motherland needs us lies the most brilliant stage for youth. When we align our personal dreams with the endeavor of building a strong military, we compose the most beautiful melody of youth. Young officers and soldiers will keep firmly in mind President Xi's earnest instructions, stay true to their original aspiration, shoulder their mission through dedication and perseverance, and write a new chapter in strengthening the military, so as to live up to the expectations of the times and the promise of their youth.
Journalist: According to reports, with the commissioning of a host of new military aircraft, the PLA Navy has successfully fielded the carrier air wing comprising five types of aircraft, including stealth carrier-based fighters, multi-role catapult-launched carrier-based fighters, fixed-wing carrier-based early warning aircraft, fixed-wing electronic warfare aircraft, and anti-submarine helicopters. What is your comment ?
Jiang Bin: We appreciate your interest in the development of the PLA Navy. The five types of carrier-based aircraft mentioned by the mediarepresent a key component in building the integrated combat capability of the carrier strike group and a major achievement in accelerating the transformation and development of the PLA Navy. Building a strong people's navy has long been the aspiration of the Chinese nation in its pursuit of maritime strength, and serves as an important guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In the new era, under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and President Xi Jinping, the PLA Navy has taken increasingly solid and steady strides in its modernization drive. Its full range of weapon platforms, spanning air and underwater domains as well as offshore ares and far seas,has seen constant enrichment in diversity and improvement in capabilities. Such leapfrog development and innovative breakthroughs haveprovided a stronger guaranteefor safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests.
Upholding the vision of a maritime community with a shared future, the Chinese Navy has actively participated in various tasks, including the escort missions in the Gulf of Aden, international HADR operations, and the Mission Harmony operations carried out by its hospital ships. Facts have proven that a strong Chinese Navy is always an anchor of world peace and a bridge for international cooperation. We stands ready to join hands with navies of all countries in solidarity and sincere cooperation, so as to make new and greater contributions to safeguarding maritime security and world peace.
Journalist: According to reports, the first Hangor-class conventionally powered submarine built by China for Pakistan was delivered in Sanya, Hainan province. Senior Pakistani military and political officials, including the country's president and the chief of naval staff, attended the delivery ceremony. What is your comment ?
Jiang Bin: This is routine equipment cooperation between China and Pakistan and a vivid example of the China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Pakistan relations have continued to reach new heights and achieve new outcomes. The two militaries have rendered strong support to each other over the years and achieved fruitful cooperation in areas such as strategic communication, joint exercises and training, personnel training, and equipment and technology. The cooperation has played an important role in safeguarding the security of both countries as well as regional peace and stability. Going forward, the two militaries will continue to consolidate strategic mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation across various fields, and contribute to building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future and promoting world peace and development.
Journalist: It is reported that the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently visited Australia and Vietnam to strengthen security cooperation with the two countries. During her visits, she touted a so-called updated vision of "a free and open Indo-Pacific", and clamored that Japan's post-war constitution, drafted during US military occupation, should be periodically updated to meet the demands of the times. May I have your comment on this ?
Jiang Bin: Under the pretexts of the so-called "free and open Indo-Pacific" and "security cooperation", governing authorities in Japan are instigating bloc confrontation and building "small circles". This undermines the strategic security and interests of other countries, and serves as an excuse for Japan to break free from the restrictions on its military development, which we firmly oppose.
May 3, 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the commencement of the Tokyo Trials. Over the past eight decades, right-wing forces in Japan have spared no effort in downplaying and defying the solemn ruling of the Tokyo Trials that embodies human conscience and historical justice, distorting and denying Japanese militarists' crimes of aggression well-documented in black and white. Class-A war criminals, guilty of heinous atrocities, have been glorified as "heroes" and honored at the Yasukuni Shrine. Post-war Japanese governments did promise to uphold the pacifist constitution and pursue the path of a peaceful nation. Later on, they started to pay lip service and took few actions to back up such promise. Nowadays, the Sanae Takaichi administration openly pushes for amending Japan's constitution. This shows that the Japanese right-wing forces are shedding their pretence, and shifting from covert military buildup to overt war preparation, making Japan's "neomilitarism" a growing and more prominent threat to regional peace.
The call of our times is for peace and cooperation rather than war and confrontation. We urge the Japanese governing authorities to stop their hypocritical self-glorification and rein in their dangerous ambition of military expansion and war preparation, demonstrate the courage to face up to history, and take real actions to atone for Japan's crimes, so as to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community.
Journalist: According to reports, the Japanese defense minister and the Philippine defense secretary issued a joint statement opposing any "unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea by force or coercion", and expressing serious concern over what they call China's dangerous coercion in areas surrounding Japan and the Philippines. The two sides also said they would strengthen defense cooperation in areas such as equipment, technology and information sharing. What is your comment ?
Jiang Bin: Certain politicians in Japan and the Philippines have hyped up false narratives on maritime issues and made groundless smears against China. We are strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this. Relevant parties have ignored the shared aspiration of regional countries for peace and development. Disregarding domestic public opposition, they have stepped up military collusion out of selfish interests, further escalating regional tensions. Japan has sent troops to participate in joint military exercises and, for the first time, launched offensive missiles outside its territory, deliberately violating the "exclusively defense-oriented" principle. The Philippines has attempted to draw in external forces to embolden its rights-violationactions and even tried to shift the blame onto China. This is a complete miscalculation. The Chinese military will not waver in its resolve to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. We urge relevant countries to stop ganging up for bloc confrontation, and take concrete actions truly conducive to regional peace and stability.
Journalist: According to reports, the PLA recently dispatched naval and air forces to conduct joint combat-readiness patrols around Taiwan Island, while sending a task force of main battleshipsto waters southwest of Penghu. Some analysts believe that the increased number of PLA vessels and aircraft crossing the so-called median line of the Taiwan Strait may be related to the recent visit abroad by Taiwan's leadership. What is your comment ?
Jiang Bin: Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory , and there is no so-called "median line" of the Taiwan Strait. Military operations carried out by the PLA in relevant areas are completely legitimate and justified. "Taiwan independence" separatist forces are the root cause of tensions and the primary source of instability in the Taiwan Strait, whichwe will never tolerate or condone. The PLA will continue to take concrete actions to resolutely safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
