China exudes military confidence on PLA anniversary

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BEIJING, Aug 1 (Reuters): China called its growing military strength a force for peace and Communist Party rule on the 80th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army Wednesday, even as a senior commander warned Taiwan against risking war.
President Hu Jintao, addressing hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen as well as an unusually large number of former top leaders, promised more money for military modernization, to include greater use of technology and professional troops.
Hu paid little heed to his normal line of stressing harmony and China's peaceful development as he sought to show off his leadership of the armed forces in the run up to this autumn's 17th Party Congress.
The anniversary has brought a crescendo of propaganda seeking to advertise China's growing military confidence but also to counter Western claims that the PLA threatens regional stability.
"The PLA is internationally renowned as a powerful, disciplined army and has won the deep trust and high regard of the party and people," said Hu, who is also chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission.
"We will gradually increase spending on national defence as the economy grows and continue to modernize national defence and the armed forces," he added, as a plethora of former leaders looked on, including his predecessor, Jiang Zemin.
"We will .... ensure that our armed forces are capable of winning a war in the information age," Hu said, in a speech punctuated by thunderous rounds of applause. "modernization of weapons and equipment should be accelerated and personnel training enhanced."
The People's Daily, the ruling Communist Party's official newspaper, said in an editorial the PLA was a force for peace.
"It provides a staunch security protection for our country's development in an important strategic period ... and plays a major role in protecting world peace."
Hu used the word "harmony" only twice. The word has become a catchphrase under his administration to describe efforts to ease social tensions spawned by a widening wealth gap as well as rising medical and education costs.