Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command released a music video to celebrate the New Year on January 1, 2025, showcasing that Chinese soldiers are ready to fight at any time. They are resolutely committed to safeguarding the determination, will, and ability to achieve the reunification of the motherland. Photo: Screenshot from the official Weibo account of the PLA Eastern Theater Command

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command released a music video titled "Zhong Guo Ren (Chinese People in English)" on its official WeChat account in celebration of the New Year on Wednesday, showing the determination, will and ability of officers and soldiers in the theater to stay vigilant, remain ready to fight at any time and resolutely safeguard the reunification of the motherland.

Military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times on Wednesday that the video clip for the first time combined the images of combat readiness of troops from various services in the PLA Eastern Theater Command, as well as those of multiple military exercises around Taiwan island. It highlighted images of new equipment such as the “ginkgo leaf” and the Type 076 amphibious assault ship, which shows that the PLA can resolutely fight back and thwart any attempt for “Taiwan independence,” and will never allow any forces to split the island of Taiwan from China's sovereign territory.

In November 2024, Andy Lau sang "Chinese People" at a concert in Taipei and received a warm response, but was attacked by the “green camp” on the island. In response, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the song was composed by a musician from Taiwan, and with iconic lyrics that include “Hand in hand, no division between you and me, moving forward with pride, let the world know we are all Chinese.” The song not only received a warm response from the audience, but also aroused widespread resonance among Chinese people at home and abroad. Certain politicians from “green camp” in Taiwan have forgotten their roots, attempting to politicize and disrupt normal musical exchanges, which has been met with strong criticism.

Experts said that the PLA Eastern Theater Command specially selected the "Chinese People” as the theme song for the music video, showing that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits are Chinese people. The video clip also demonstrates a scene of teachers and students from universities in the Chinese mainland visiting Taiwan and being warmly welcomed, reflecting the deep friendship between compatriots across the Straits. These scenes of harmonious coexistence also convey a signal that the Chinese mainland hopes that the majority of Taiwan compatriots can see the true face of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and work together with mainland compatriots to promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations.

Zhang said that the video shows no matter if it is on workdays or holidays, troops are always on high alert and in a state of combat readiness to fight at any time. Through the video, the Chinese people can rest assured about the determination and ability of the PLA to defend the country, suppress secession, and safeguard national unity and security. 

“In 2024, the PLA Eastern Theater Command carried out a large number of combat readiness tasks to safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. For example, the scene of the J-16 and foreign military’s P-8A patrol aircraft in the same picture shows that the Eastern Theater Command troops can effectively detect and respond to external threats. In addition, the ‘Joint Sword’ series of exercises demonstrated the Eastern Theater Command’s resolute response to the provocations of the collusion between “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and external forces, and its determination to resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” Zhang noted.

Elaborating on the meaning of the appearance of the “ginkgo leaf” and the Type 076 amphibious assault ship among other advanced equipment in the video, Zhang said that by the end of 2024, China had displayed a series of advanced national defense equipment, representing the advanced level of national defense science and technology and the improvement of naval and air combat capabilities. 

The video attracted particular public attention because it also featured pictures of a bird and a ginkgo leaf. Media on the island of Taiwan claimed that they are metaphors for the PLA’s sixth-generation stealth fighter jet. In the evening of December 26, social media account of Defense Times shared an image of a ginkgo leaf with a caption that says “Ginkgo has turned yellow. It really looks like a leaf.” This is seen as an ambiguous tacit approval of the public’s speculation about China’s “sixth-generation fighter jet.” Recently, many netizens speculated that China has tested two different types of suspected “sixth-generation fighter jet” prototypes based on videos and photos circulating on social media. One of them uses a delta-wing tailless design resembling to a ginkgo leaf, while the other looks similar to the bird that appeared in the music video.

Zhang said that the new-type military aircraft, heatedly discussed online and dubbed by the outside world as a sixth-generation fighter jet, have powerful stealth performance, high cruise speed and advanced avionics system, and is at the world's leading level.

Advanced weapons and equipment such as the newly launched Type 076 large amphibious assault ship also appeared in the video. “They demonstrate the ability of the PLA to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, which makes the Chinese people feel proud and excited, and also makes forces with ill intentions toward China feel uneasy, Zhang said.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command’s release of the video on the first day of the New Year also issued a stern warning to the separatist forces of "Taiwan independence." Zhang noted that since August 2022, the PLA Eastern Theater Command has responded strongly to the provocations of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and their collusion with external forces to seek “independence.” 

"Through these exercises, it can be seen that the PLA has formulated a complete combat plan and has strong combat capabilities, including reconnaissance and early warning, sea assault, air superiority and combat capabilities, as well as land strike capabilities. For potential provocations of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, the PLA can resolutely fight back," Zhang said.