Chinese leader Xi Jinping says he is preparing for war. At the annual meeting of China’s parliament and its top political advisory body, Xi wove the theme of war readiness through four separate speeches, in one instance telling his generals to “dare to fight”.

His government also announced a 7.25% increase in China’s defense budget, which has doubled over the last decade, as well as plans to make the country less dependent on foreign grain imports. And in recent months, Beijing has unveiled new military readiness laws, new air-raid shelters in cities across the strait from Taiwan, and new “National Defense Mobilization” offices countrywide.