China's General Staff Headquarters issued a harsh directive on Wednesday to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to prepare for war:
In 2013, the goal set for the entire army and the People's Armed Police force is to bolster their capabilities to fight and their ability to win a war... to be well-prepared for a war by subjecting the army to hard and rigorous training on an actual combat basis.
Although past directives have directed soldiers to be prepared in case of war, this year's directive, for the first time, uses the Chinese word "dazhang," which means "fighting war," and uses it 10 times in the 1000 word directive.
Last month, China announced plans to board and seize foreign ships in the South China Sea, starting in 2013, and has been conducting naval drills with warships in preparation.
While the official directive does not mention Japan, various commentaries makes clear that Japan is the would-be adversary.
China steps up nationalistic war-like rhetoricChina's military budget has been increasing exponentially for years, as I and others have reported, and this year it's finally paying off: China's military is deploying a large number of new warships, tanks, missiles, submarines, and strike aircraft, much of it in preparation for potential full-scale war with the United States.
These weapons include hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of mobile, nuclear ballistic missiles targeting American cities and newly developed missiles capable of striking and disabling American aircraft carriers. For the first time in its modern history, China has the firepower to contest control of disputed territory far from its coastal waters.
Flush with pride and confidence, senior officers in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are using increasingly hawkish and nationalistic rhetoric when discussing issues related to Japan or the United States. Some of these officers call for "short, sharp wars" to assert China's sovereignty, or to "strike first," "prepare for conflict," or "kill a chicken to scare the monkeys."
Holy Fuck! 
