Category: China

China’s National People’s Congress is currently considering legal amendments to expand compulsory military training in universities and introduce ‘national defence education’ in high schools, a report by Rakesh Sharma

For an extended period, China enforced a one-child policy, which has now begun to create significant challenges within its society and economy. Consequently, the People’s Liberation Army of China is encountering substantial difficulties in its recruitment efforts. In reality, Chinese families are reluctant to send their sole offspring to the military. These only children, nurtured with immense care and affection, have become mentally, psychologically, and physically fragile. The Communist Party of China is struggling to find young recruits for the army. As a result, the CPC is planning to amend the law by introducing a new ordinance that mandates all students in the country to serve in the military.

The National People’s Congress of China is deliberating on legal amendments to broaden mandatory military training in universities and introduce ‘National Defence Education’ in high schools. According to the proposed changes, units of the People’s Liberation Army will be deployed in educational institutions nationwide, including colleges, universities, and high schools. This initiative aims to enhance a comprehensive program of sanctioned military education and physical training, preparing the youth for potential recruitment. This development was reported by the state news agency Xinhua on September 10.

China’s National People’s Congress is currently considering legal amendments to expand compulsory military training in universities and introduce ‘national defence education’ in high schools. The proposed changes would see units of the People’s Liberation Army stationed in educational institutions across the country, including colleges, universities, and high schools. This initiative is designed to bolster a nationwide program of approved military education and physical training, aimed at preparing young people for potential recruitment. This development was reported by the state news agency Xinhua on September 10.

Departments of the People’s Armed Forces are already embedded at every level of government, as well as in schools, universities, and state-owned enterprises, to reinforce the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) control over local militias, safeguard weapons caches, and provide employment for veterans. After being relatively inconspicuous during the post-Mao economic boom, these departments are now actively mobilizing to establish militias within large state-owned companies and strengthen party leadership over local military operations.

Analysts suggest that if the proposed amendments are adopted, they will standardize these activities under the CCP’s military guidelines, aiming to generate more potential recruits in preparation for conflict. Although Chinese citizens are theoretically required to serve in the People’s Liberation Army, this mandate has not been enforced since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

According to Xinhua, the proposed amendments will require high schools to educate students about military service and foster a perception of it as ‘glorious.’ The plan also includes primary and junior high schools, urging them to integrate classroom instruction with extracurricular activities, as reported by China News Service.

The report states that college and high school students will be mandated to undergo basic military training, while junior high schools may also organize similar activities. As per the Legal Daily newspaper, the amendments aim to establish a comprehensive national military training program that links schools of all levels and types. Additionally, the amendments ensure funding for these activities, which will encompass military camps and ‘national defence education bases.

Shan-Son Kung, an associate researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defence and Security Research, explained to RFA Mandarin that the goal is to instill national defence awareness and identify potential enemies at a younger age. He noted that basic military training is being introduced earlier in the education system to ensure widespread military knowledge. The objective is to enhance preparations for future conflicts, thereby increasing the number of conscripts available after the Mobilization Law is enacted. The National Defence Mobilization Law of the People’s Republic of China, which came into effect on July 1, 2010, aims to establish a comprehensive national defence mobilization framework.

Kung observed that the Chinese military relies heavily on recruitment, with a significant portion of its standing army being professional soldiers. He indicated that escalating tensions between China and the United States might lead China to bolster its economic and military mobilization efforts. This could involve increasing the frequency and scope of military exercises. Such measures may be seen as proactive steps to prepare for a potential large-scale conflict in the future.

China mandates that graduates in fields such as fluid mechanics, machinery, chemistry, missile technology, radar, science and engineering, and weapons science join the People’s Liberation Army. Taiwan-based Chinese dissident Gong Yujian highlighted that the Chinese Communist Party recognizes the challenge of recruiting young people due to the one-child policy’s impact on the age group. To address this, the CCP is intensifying pro-military propaganda targeting the youth.

 “They aim to in still loyalty to the party and patriotism in high school students, encouraging them to revere the People’s Liberation Army,” Gong explained. “It’s a form of educational indoctrination.” This strategy aims to boost recruitment figures by encouraging students to enlist after graduation. Gong recalled his own experiences with military training exercises during his high school years.

 “When we were in school, we underwent a seven-day military training, but it was merely a formality,” he recalled. “Soldiers from the local armed police force came to our school to instruct us on marching and folding blankets.” He added, “We never even got to handle a firearm.” China’s consideration of mandatory military training for children and college students reflects its strategic move to bolster national defence readiness. By instilling military values and skills from a young age, the country aims to ensure a steady stream of recruits and enhance its overall military capabilities but in present scenario this herculean task seems to be impossible.

ALSO READ: China’s defence tech shine at Africa airshow

Joint declaration opposes efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities, and reaffirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law…reports Asian Lite News

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday met for the 4th in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, and expressed serious concern about the coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea.

In the joint declaration, the leaders from the US, India, Australia, and Japan opposed efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities, and reaffirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law.

“We are seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We continue to express our serious concern about the militarisation of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating manoeuvres in the South China Sea. We condemn the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including the increasing use of dangerous manoeuvres. We also oppose efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities.We reaffirm that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, as reflected in UNCLOS,” the Quad Wilmington Declaration said.

The leaders asserted that they are of strong conviction that international law, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, along with the maintenance of peace, safety, security, and stability in the maritime domain, should be kept at the topmost priority.

“We emphasize the importance of adherence to international law, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to address challenges to the global maritime rules-based order, including with respect to maritime claims,” the declaration read.

“We re-emphasize the universal and unified character of UNCLOS and reaffirm that UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and the seas must be carried out. We underscore that the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea is a significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties,” it further added.

The Quad leaders added that they recommit to working in partnership with Pacific island countries to achieve shared aspirations and address shared challenges.

“We remain committed to strengthening cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. We strongly support IORA as the Indian Ocean region’s premier forum for addressing the region’s challenges. We recognize India’s leadership in finalizing the IORA Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (IOIP) and express our support for its implementation. We thank Sri Lanka for its continued leadership as IORA Chair through this year and look forward to India’s assuming the IORA Chair in 2025,” the declaration said.

The Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting joint statement issued on July 29 this year said that the countries of the bloc were collectively advancing a positive and practical agenda to support the Indo-Pacific region’s sustainable development, stability, and prosperity, responding to the region’s needs.

Amid China’s coercive pressure on Taiwan in the wake of the Lai Ching-te winning the presidential polls of the self-governed island and following tensions between China and the Philippines, the Quad foreign ministers had previously said they were “seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas” and reiterated their “strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.”

Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.

Meanwhile, Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, during their bilateral meeting, expressed concerns over China’s “coercive and destabilising activities” in the Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders held talks on the sidelines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday (local time).

“The leaders discussed their respective diplomacy with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and their shared concerns about the PRC’s coercive and destabilising activities, including in the South China Sea,” the White House statement read.

During their meeting, both leaders emphasised their country’s progress in strengthening bilateral ties since PM Albanese’s official visit to Washington, DC, back in October 2023.

Both leaders held talks on their support for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and their continued assistance to Ukraine. They also discussed their support for a sustainable ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

Biden and Albanese underscored that the US-Australia Alliance remains the “core of the bilateral relationship” and welcomed the “depth of cooperation across its three pillars,” which are “defence and security,” “economic,” and “climate and clean energy.”

Notably, the leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) Joint Leaders Statement to advance their “trilateral partnership and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.”

Biden further welcomed Albanese’s contributions to the Quad and its growing partnership with Japan, as well as their active engagement in the Pacific region.

The leaders also reflected on the strength of their “economic relationship” and further discussed the progress over the past two years to modernise the Alliance in the face of new challenges, including addressing climate change and the clean energy transition.

The leaders also committed to continuing their bilateral partnership to advance their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. (ANI)

ALSO READ: China mulls national military training for children, college students

“Chinese are clearly developing a world-class military space capability that includes both space support and counter-space.”…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese ambitions – “the grand rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” as Chairman Xi Jinping calls it – are almost unbridled in their scope. As well as seeking to dominate nearby territory such as Taiwan, the mountainous border with India, international waters in the South China Sea and the icy wastes of Antarctica – Beijing has cast its zealous net deep into space too.

A sharp warning came recently from the Headquarters of the US Space Force. In a space threat fact sheet it stated, “Intensifying strategic competition presents a serious threat to US national security interests in, from and to space. China and Russia seek to position themselves as leading space powers while undermining US global leadership. Both countries are developing new space systems to enhance military effectiveness and end any reliance on US space systems.”

Dr Malcom Davis, a senior analyst in Defence Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), concurred. He told ANI: “Clearly, China would like to dominate space in terms of control, and deny space access to the US and to US allies…In every sense of the word, I think the Chinese are determined to overtake the US in space.”

Before delving further into the contents of that American Space Force report, it is pertinent to see how China is already trampling upon international norms on Earth. If Beijing is willing to unashamedly do this on our terrestrial ball, against the wishes of others, then what will it attempt in the vast, uncontested reaches of outer space?

China is planning a permanent moon base, and it will presumably ride roughshod over the US-sponsored Artemis Accords of 2020 that recommend principles regarding moon colonization. A key provision in the Artemis Accords is license for lunar operators to establish “safety zones” around their activities “to avoid harmful interference”. Some 43 countries have signed the accords, but not China or Russia since they are developing their own frameworks.

China’s and minor partner Russia’s proposed base at the moon’s south pole is called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Its roadmap was unveiled in 2021, but China revealed further information earlier this month. Five super-heavy-lift rockets are to help establish the first phase of the ILRS from 2030-35, after which it will expand through till 2050. Chinese state media said the extended station will be a “comprehensive lunar station network that utilizes the lunar orbit station as its central hub and the south pole station as its primary base, and it will include exploration nodes on the lunar equator and the far side of the moon”. Power will come from solar, radioisotope and nuclear generators. To date, 13 countries have signed up to the ILRS project.

However, how will China behave on the moon? It has already shown in Antarctica how it despises international treaties. Specifically, China requested an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) around its Kunlun Station on Dome A in 2013. An ASMA is the equivalent of a lunar safety zone, but China’s request was roundly denied under the Antarctica Treaty System (ATS) since there is no threat to or need for deconfliction in this zone. China insisted it needed the ASMA for precautionary reasons, and the situation has devolved into an international stalemate. Since then, Beijing has spitefully obstructed various unrelated decisions by the ATS.

On the moon, China could just as easily spurn international treaties and efforts to deconflict exploration programs, especially since the south pole is the most favored area for colonization sites. The Outer Space Treaty prevents any country from reserving a territorial claim on the moon, but “safety zones” are the nearest thing to establishing sovereignty there. However, if China were to arrive on the moon first, it could take control of parts of it by establishing its own massive “safety zones” in defiance of treaties or public opinion. Who is to stop it?

Xi certainly has a track record of bullying and disdainfully treating rules and norms. He is ramping up sustained pressure on Taiwan. Since President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration in May, the number of Chinese air defense identification zone (ADIZ) or Taiwan Strait centerline incursions has risen from an average of 7.5 to 18.7 per day. Year on year they are up 73%, and this year’s cumulative total of incursions already exceeds that of 2023. By the end of August, the PLA had intruded 1,986 times, compared to 1,703 for the whole of last year.

It is not just Taiwan that China is intimidating. On 26 August, a PLA Y-9 electronic intelligence aircraft violated Japanese airspace over the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea. This appeared to be the first time a Chinese military aircraft had violated Japanese airspace since World War II. With Tokyo supportive of Taiwan, China is increasingly eyeing the possibility of interdicting the Japanese Ryukyu Island chain, which includes Okinawa, critical to both the Japanese and American militaries.

Meanwhile, in the Western Pacific, for the first time a Chinese Type 075 landing helicopter dock ship operated with the aircraft carrier Shandong east of Taiwan during a surge deployment exercise in August. This was the first time these two powerful naval assets had operated together.

Back in the South China Sea, the Philippines noted the presence of 203 Chinese vessels, the most ever recorded, near its own occupied features last week. These were mostly maritime militia vessels (fishing boats acting at the behest of the state), but also coast guard and naval vessels. Some 71 boats were swarming Sabina Shoal alone, a site of tension between the Philippines and China. Malaysia’s government has been trying to play down Chinese encroachment into its maritime territory in the South China Sea.

Recently, the Chinese research ship Ke Xue San Hao was conducting an illegal survey of Chinese waters at Ardasier Bank within Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, and before that three coast guard vessels were loitering.

As can be seen from this snapshot of recent nefarious Chinese activity, Beijing does not mind intimidating other nations in order to gain advantage.

Unfortunately, China also nominated space as a new domain of warfare in 2015, and it is boldly staking its claim in this celestial sphere. The US Space Force explained, “China’s rapidly growing space program – second only to the US in number of operational satellites – is a source of national pride and key to President Xi’s ‘China Dream’ to establish a powerful and prosperous nation. Beijing expects space to play an important role in future conflicts by enabling long-range precision strikes and by denying other militaries the use of space-based information systems.”

Last year, China conducted 66 successful space launches, placing 217 payloads into orbit. More than half – 114 payloads to be exact – were for satellites capable of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). China now has 470+ ISR-capable satellites with optical, multispectral, radar and radio frequency sensors that can detect American and others’ military assets. One of the most significant of these is the Yaogan-41 remote sensing satellite launched in December 2023. It allows China to persistently monitor American and allied forces in the region.

According to the US military, since the end of 2015, China’s on-orbit presence has grown by approximately 550%. Quantitatively this is more than 800 satellites and, indeed, as of March 2024, China had more than 950 satellites in orbit. Furthermore, Beijing’s improving space-based capabilities can combine with the PLA’s growing arsenal of long-range weapons to enable long-range precision strikes against US and allied forces.

China is even successfully utilizing reusable spaceplanes. Three launches have occurred, the first lasting two days and the second more than nine months, and both released unidentified objects. The third spaceplane launched in December 2023 and it remains in orbit today.

The US Space Force further warned: “Intelligence suggests the PLA likely sees counter-space operations as a means to deter and counter US military intervention in a regional conflict.

Moreover, PLA academics stress the necessity of ‘destroying, damaging and interfering with the enemy’s reconnaissance…and communications satellites’ to ‘blind and deafen the enemy’.”

Chinese intentions were made manifest in 2007 when it employed a direct-ascent antisatellite (ASAT) missile to destroy a defunct weather satellite in low Earth orbit (LEO). This created more than 2,700 pieces of trackable debris that remain an orbital hazard. The USA claimed, “That missile evolved into an operational ground-based system intended to target LEO satellites. The PLA actively trains on this system today.”

The Pentagon assessed that China “likely intends to field ASAT weapons capable of destroying satellites up to geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) at 36,000km. In 2013, China launched a ballistic object which peaked at 30,000km, suggesting it may already have a basic ASAT capability against higher orbits.”

Addressing China’s counter-space capabilities, Dr. Davis of ASPI said: “What you’re seeing is that, while the Chinese are developing this sort of direct-ascent, kinetic-kill ASATs, the favored capability for them will be soft-kill systems that are either co-orbital or ground-based, because they can deliver reversible, scalable effects, and they also don’t create clouds of space debris.”

He added: “What they’re demonstrating, perfecting, is the technological means to do these sort of attacks in a crisis leading up to war, to exploit the gray-zone attack using, for example, a dual-role commercial satellite that has an anti-satellite capability.” In fact, Beijing is developing satellite “inspection and repair systems” that could serve as weapons. In January 2022, for instance, the Shijian-21 satellite moved a derelict BeiDou navigation satellite to a graveyard orbit above GEO. “This technology could be used in future systems to grapple other satellites.”

Dr. David Stupples, professor of Electronic & Radio Engineering at City University of London, told ANI that, while the ASAT threat is “very serious”, any attack would lead to fratricide due to American retaliation. “But what China has then said is, okay, you can do all of that, but we will flood space with our signals intelligence satellites and our reconnaissance satellites, etc. and, therefore, we’ll make it very difficult to do that.”

Further evidence of nefarious Chinese intentions is seen in SJ- and TJS-series experimental satellites observed conducting unusual, large and rapid maneuvers in GEO.

The USA believes these are “tactics which could have a number of different military applications”. Additionally, the PLA owns multiple ground-based laser weapons able to disrupt, degrade or damage satellite sensors. “By the mid-to-late 2020s, they could have higher-power systems able to damage satellite structures.”

Dr. Stupples commented: “They do have lasers powerful enough at the moment probably to destroy a satellite in LEO. But they’re also developing satellite-killer satellites which will go alongside another satellite and then aim a laser at the solar panels or antennas … I don’t know as yet whether they’ve launched any, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had, because they would be testing it against their own satellites.”

PLA exercises routinely incorporate jammers against space-based communications, radars and navigation systems like GPS. There are also indications China may be developing jammers able to target satellite communications over a range of frequencies, including the US military’s protected extremely-high-frequency systems.

Another achievement was China’s July 2021 fractional orbital launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle. This was a world-first, and it marked the longest flight of any PLA land attack weapon ever. In 100+ minutes, it flew around 40,000km.

Dr Davis warned: “We should be very concerned, because the Chinese are clearly developing a world-class military space capability that includes both space support and counter-space. And I think that all the good intentions and flowery language of arms control and regulatory reform aside, the Chinese will use counter-space capabilities prior to or at the outset of the next war. We should expect space to be contested, and ultimately a warfighting domain, where the Chinese will seek to deny us access to critical space support.”

The US Space Force sounded the same alarm bells: “China is the pacing challenge and is rapidly improving its space capabilities to track and target US military forces.” (ANI)

ALSO READ: Chinese carrier sails near disputed Japanese islands

China objected to the move by the US and vowed to “resolutely defend national sovereignty,…reports Asian Lite News

The US 7th Fleet said on Tuesday that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft transited the Taiwan Strait and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.

“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” the US 7th Fleet in a statement said.

“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, China objected to the move by the US and vowed to “resolutely defend national sovereignty,” according to a report by VOA.

“On September 17, a US P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait,” Li Xi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said.

The PLA theater command “organised fighter jets to tail and stand guard against the US aircraft’s flight, dealing with it in accordance with the law. Theater troops are on constant high alert to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability,” Li said, according to VOA.

Notably, Taiwan has been governed independently since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.

Earlier in July, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te accused the Chinese government of misinterpreting a United Nations resolution to justify its military activities against Taiwan and drawing an inappropriate linkage to its “One China” principle, the Central News Agency (CNA) had reported.

Beijing claims that the UN resolution confirmed its one-China principle, which implies that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Afghanistan reopens its embassy in Oman

The flotilla, which included two Luyang III-class missile destroyers, sailed southwards through the waters between the islands on Tuesday and Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News

A Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan for the first time, as confirmed by Japan’s military on Wednesday. The passage, which occurred between Yonaguni and Iriomote islands, is the latest in a series of assertive moves by Beijing that have alarmed Japan, a close US ally. The area is close to the disputed Senkaku Islands, known as Diaoyu in China, which have long been a flashpoint between the two nations.

The flotilla, which included two Luyang III-class missile destroyers, sailed southwards through the waters between the islands on Tuesday and Wednesday. Japan’s defense ministry noted that this was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had been observed passing through these particular waters. Local media, citing unnamed defense sources, reported that the carrier had entered Japan’s contiguous waters, an area where a country can exert some control, although this is not yet fully confirmed by Japan’s defense ministry.

Taiwan also reported that the same Chinese naval formation had passed through waters northeast of the self-governed island on its way toward Japan’s Yonaguni Island. The movements come amid heightened tensions in the region, with China’s increasing military presence and assertiveness causing concern among the US and its allies, particularly in territorial disputes.

Incidents involving Chinese and Japanese vessels, especially around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, have become frequent. In recent years, Japanese fighter jets have been scrambled multiple times in response to incursions by Chinese aircraft, with Tokyo calling a Chinese military aircraft incursion in August a “serious violation” of its sovereignty.

In response to these growing threats, Japan has been boosting its defense spending and enhancing its military capabilities, including counter-strike abilities. Japan is also strengthening its defense partnerships, notably with the Philippines, and has supported regional security by providing patrol vessels and other military assistance to neighboring countries.

ALSO READ: Afghanistan reopens its embassy in Oman