BEIJING, August 1. /TASS/. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is ready at any time to protect national interests and suppress any separatist attempts, the Chinese Defense Ministry said.

"The PLA always obeys the call of the party and the people and is ready at any time to effectively protect national interests and thwart and suppress any separatist attempts," the ministry said on its WeChat page on the occasion of the 97th anniversary of the founding of the China’s armed forces.

The statement also said that "Chinese servicemen are ready to work with the armed forces of other countries to implement the concept of the community of shared destiny of mankind and the initiatives of global development, global security and the global civilization initiative, to carry out pragmatic friendly cooperation and create a fair and just security model."