Old video of Xi Jinping shared as China preparing for war with Taiwan

What's the claim?

A video of Chinese President Xi Jinping is being shared online to claim that he is calling on the country’s army to prepare for war with Taiwan. 

The video shows a formation of soldiers standing in rows, chanting slogans, and some formations standing before military vehicles. The event appears to be a formal military assembly or parade. After the slogans, Jinping delivers a speech, the transcript of which reads, "Here I give my orders: the military at all levels should strengthen military training and war preparedness, place military training at a strategic position, and implement it as a central task." 

The video was shared on X (formerly Twitter) with a Hindi caption, translating to,"Why would China lag behind? Chinese President Xi Jinping has also asked his army to be ready for war. It seems that China is now in the mood to take action regarding Taiwan." The video is also being shared on Facebook with a claim that says China is preparing for war against India.  

Archives of the posts can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

Screenshot of viral posts circulating on social media. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this video was originally posted online six years ago and features Xi addressing 7,000 service members in China's Hebei province about real-combat training, and is not related to any recent events. China's military reportedly held live-fire exercises near Taiwan on October 22, 2024, following large-scale drills and Jinping calling for war preparedness.

What did we find?

A reverse image search showed that the video was posted online before China's live-fire exercise near Taiwan on October 22, 2024. The same footage, showing Jinping's speech to the army, was uploaded by The Guardian on YouTube (archived here) on January 4, 2018, titled "Chinese army puts on show of military might for Xi Jinping." 

The description noted that Jinping addressed 7,000 personnel in the Hebei province, emphasizing the importance of real-combat training and winning wars. The Guardian's logo is also visible in the upper right corner of the viral clip, matching the original video.

Screenshot of the same video posted on YouTube in January 2018 by The Guardian. (Source: YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

Additionally, China's official press agency, Xinhua, published a report on January 4, 2018, reporting that the president had ordered the creation of an elite combat force through real combat training, innovation, and digitization. During an inspection of a People's Liberation Army (PLA) division, Jinping stressed the importance of combat readiness and tech innovation, observing troops, military vehicles, and training exercises. The visuals of Jinping in the report match those in the viral video.

Similarly, China Central Television (CCTV), the state broadcaster, shared footage of this event on YouTube (archived here), mentioning it was the first time the Central Military Commission (CMC) organized such a meeting. At 3:34 mark in the video, soldiers can be seen taking an oath in front of the Chinese flag, just as in the viral clip. The video also reported that Jinping reviewed the troops and oversaw military training as officers and soldiers headed to battle stations.

The verdict

An old video of Chinese President Xi Jinping from 2018 addressing the 7,000 service members in Heibei province has been misrepresented as recent. The online video is unrelated to military exercises conducted near Taiwan reportedly on October 22.