Victorious in war and obedient to the Party – China’s latest political and current affairs news

On August 1, in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), President Xi Jinping delivered a speech in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The length of the speech — almost an hour long and about 7,700 words in total — might deter many from reading the full transcript, but the People’s Daily has a handy infographic (in Chinese) that condenses it down into a selection of high-frequency words that appear in the speech and a few highlights from it, such as:

• The people’s army (人民军队 rénmínjūnduì) has a commanding lead — mentioned 75 times, followed by development (发展 fā zhǎn) with 37 times and revolution (革命 gémìng) with 36 times.
• Others in the top 20 list are: victory (胜利 shènglì), great (伟大 wěidà), construction (建设 jiànshè), war (战争 zhànzhēng), military affairs (军事 jūnshì), history (历史 lìshǐ), strong army (强军 qiángjūn), force (力量 lìliàng), should (必须 bìxū), reform (改革 gǎigé), leadership (领导 lǐngdǎo), nationality (民族 mínzú), nation (国家 guójiā), national defense (国防 guófáng), faith (信念 xìnniàn), hero (英雄 yīngxióng), and dream (理想 lǐxiǎng).
• As to China’s territorial disputes with neighbors, Xi remarked, “No one should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit that is harmful to our sovereignty, security, or development interests.”
• Xi also emphasized that on the way forward, “the People’s Liberation Army should be in complete obedience to the Party’s leadership.”

• Environment
  Opinion: The east is turning green / Financial Times (paywall)
  On India and China’s progress in renewable energy.
  China’s aging solar panels are going to be a big environmental problem / SCMP
  China pollution regulators slam metals giant Minmetals for violations / Reuters
• Uyghurs
  China targets Muslim Uighurs studying abroad / Financial Times (paywall)
• Indonesia – cyberfraud
  Indonesia to deport 153 Chinese over cyber fraud ring / SCMP
• South China Sea – Vietnam
  Vietnam criticizes China’s cinema on disputed South China Sea island / Reuters
• Israel
  China seeks support for Israel-Palestinian peace plan / SCMP
• Infrastructure
  China is building world’s deepest railway station under the Great Wall / People’s Daily