Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the country’s armed forces to “strengthen military training for real combat,” China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.

The military must “resolutely defend our territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and China’s interests, and maintain overall stability in our neighborhood,” Xi Jinping said, according to CCTV, as quoted by AFP and Agerpres.

The remarks came during the Chinese leader’s visit to a naval base in the country’s south on Tuesday, a day after military exercises aimed at putting pressure on Taiwan ended.

The island of 23 million people is the subject of a bitter rivalry between Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the territory it does not control, and Washington, Taiwan’s main ally and arms supplier.

China staged a three-day military drill, presented by Beijing as a “serious warning” to the island, following a meeting last week between Taiwan’s president and a senior US official.

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