On Feb. 10 the Ministry of National Defense delivered a Lunar New Year message that married festive goodwill with martial rhetoric. Deputy director of the ministry’s information bureau and spokesman Senior Colonel Jiang Bin offered traditional season’s greetings while invoking the imagery of the horse—loyal, brave and forward‑charging—to describe the People’s Liberation Army’s posture as China moves into a new planning cycle.
Jiang’s remarks emphasized that from “thousands of miles of land frontiers to ten‑thousand miles of maritime frontiers, from the high skies to the deep blue oceans,” PLA personnel are “sharpening their swords and bedding down arms, practised to win.” He framed those words as part of a larger national project, saying the blueprint for the coming “15th Five‑Year Plan” has been drawn and that the armed forces will press forward “with the momentum of ten thousand horses.”
At face value the statement is a routine combination of holiday blessing and institutional morale‑building. The language, however, is notable for its steady drumbeat of readiness: the ministry shifts quickly from cultural symbolism to a catalogue of operational domains and a clear commitment to intensive training and preparedness. The reference to a “century clarion” further ties the seasonal greeting to a broader political timeline and ritual of national rejuvenation.
For international audiences the message performs two functions. Domestically it reassures Chinese citizens that the armed forces remain vigilant even as the country pauses for spring celebrations; it also bolsters internal cohesion by connecting traditional culture, Party planning cycles and military purpose. Externally, the rhetoric serves as implicit signaling of continuity in China’s defence-modernization drive and a reminder that the PLA intends to maintain high readiness across land, sea, air and maritime zones as Beijing implements its next five‑year priorities.
The content of the ministry’s words is unremarkable as pure public relations. Its timing and metaphors matter because they reflect how Beijing prefers to present military modernization at moments of national ritual: not as a break from everyday life but as part of the national project of “strong country, strong army” and the campaign for “national rejuvenation.” Observers should watch for how this tone translates into concrete policy and activity in the coming months—especially training cycles, exercise frequency, and procurement decisions tied to the new five‑year plan.