On the first day of the Chinese New Year, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command released a short video and a series of posters titled "Using force to achieve peace," showcasing the determination and resolve of the troops in the theater, who remain at their posts to protect family reunions, uphold their original mission to ensure the happiness of the people, and defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Military experts told the Global Times this not only demonstrates the PLA's "commitment to being capable of fighting" but also highlights the "responsibility of a force that advocates peace to achieve peace."
The posters feature a dominant dark green background, with red paper-cutting patterns at the bottom, capturing the lively and festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival while emphasizing the "military flavor." They highlight the mission of the PLA, even at the Chinese New Year, which is ready to wield its sword and safeguard peace and stability at any time. The close-up facial shots of soldiers from various branches - Army, Navy, Air Force, Rocket Force, and the Strategic Support Force - are particularly striking, with some netizens describing them as the "gaze of Chinese soldiers." The posters were released at 6 am on the first day of the Chinese New Year, aligning with the timing of a previous joint exercise held by the Eastern Theater Command before. "This is the 'Eastern State' the PLA Eastern Theater Command wishes to present to Chinese people around the world, and it reflects the PLA's constant readiness to fight," said the military experts.
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times that "Using force to achieve peace" from an ancient Chinese history chronicle Zuo Zhuan represents the highest ideal in military strategy, aiming to stop military conflicts. This aligns with the PLA's military guiding principle: "only those capable of fighting can stop battles, and only those prepared for war don't have to fall into war." It also echoes the ideas in ancient Chinese military treatise The Art of War, such as "the ultimate triumph lies in winning without fighting" and "The best policy in war is to thwart the enemy' s strategy. The second best is to disrupt his alliances through diplomatic means. The third best is to attack his army in the field. The worst policy of all is to attack walled cities," emphasizing caution and skill at war, and ultimately stopping warfare.
The poster uses "Using force to achieve peace" as its title, with the first five images focusing on showcasing the "fighting" capability, while the final one highlights the purpose of "stopping (war)" and creatively introduces the concept of "transforming conflict into resolution" - achieving victory through virtue.
The posters continue the Eastern Theater Command's consistent use of "traditional Chinese characters + English," with self-evident meanings and aspirations.
For example, the Chinese and English translation of the poster titled "如影攒戈" (Empower with joint capacities) contains hidden implications. From the visual perspective alone, the data streams reflected in the image, along with the computer and circuit diagrams in the paper-cutting, lead viewers to speculate whether this represents the newly established PLA information support force. However, the English translation "joint capacities" means "联合能力" in Chinese, so that "攒" carries more of the connotation of "clenching fingers into a fist."
"'Empower with joint capacities' does not solely refer to the accumulation of cyber capabilities, but emphasizes the gathering of tangible power through an intangible hand. This 'intangible' refers to the PLA's technological strength based on network, information and digital empowerment, '" Zhang noted.
CTiTV, or CTi News, a news portal based in China's Taiwan island, also reported the Eastern Theater Command's video and posters on Wednesday. The report said that "In this approximately 40-second video, the armed situation of the Eastern Theater Command soldiers is showcased, along with the training conditions of ships and aircraft." The report also noted that a map of the Taiwan island is featured.
It has become a norm for the PLA Eastern Theater Command to release New Year greetings. From the "Guarding" series during the Lantern Festival in 2023, to the "Going Home" series for the Spring Festival in 2024, and this year's "using force" series, it consistently expresses the PLA's firm determination, strong capabilities, and mission vision to safeguard national unification, protect peace across the Taiwan Straits, and watch over national rejuvenation.
"However, a noticeable stronger stance has been shown in this year's theme selection and content expression," Zhang noted. "The PLA's posture of 'getting armed' has already been established after one 'Joint Sword' exercise in 2023 and two 'Joint Sword' exercises in 2024. With the increasing provocations from the 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces led by Lai Ching-te, the PLA's warnings and responses are becoming increasingly severe and heavy. This is beyond doubt."