[Editor’s note: Chinese General Zhu Chenghu’s statement that China would launch a nuclear war against the United States on conflict over Taiwan on July 15, 2005, sent a shockwave to the whole world. Although Zhu’s claim is the first of its kind in public, he is not alone in voicing such a threat. Two transcripts of a top Chinese military official’s speeches published on Chinese websites prior to Zhu’s public statement echoed the same view. The two related speeches, “The War Is Approaching Us” and “The War Is Not Far from Us and Is the Midwife of the Chinese Century,” were believed to be given by Chi Haotian, former Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Committee and Defense Minister. The speeches argued for the necessity of a biological and nuclear war to destroy Japan and cripple the United States and prepare it for a future massive Chinese colonization.
Independently verifying the authorship of the speech is not possible. However, it is worth reading because it indeed represents the general mentality of the military officials in the hawkish camp in China and is believed to set out the CCP’s strategy for the development of China.
“The War Is Approaching Us” was first posted in January 2003 on websites such as www.mwjx.com and then on www.chinaren.com on October 11. It was most recently published on April 23, 2005, on www.boxun.com. “The War Is Not Far from Us and Is the Midwife of the Chinese Century” was published on February 15, 2005, on www.peacehall.com. Below are the transcripts of the two speeches by Chi Haotian.]