Recently, a daring rescue operation by a US special forces team deep into enemy territory in Iran has captured the attention of many. In the early hours of April 4th, President Trump announced that another crew member of the downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran had been rescued. The brave action by the US military to rescue their comrade has been highly praised, while China’s practice of equipping their own troops with devices that can be remotely detonated by superiors in case of being captured has raised concerns.
On April 3rd, a US F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iranian airspace, with two crew members ejecting to safety. One was rescued on the same day, while the other went missing. The US immediately launched a search and rescue operation. In the midnight of April 4th, President Trump posted on the Truth Social platform, saying, “We got him out!” “At my direction, the US military deployed dozens of aircraft equipped with the world’s deadliest weapons to rescue him. He is injured, but he will be fine.”
Official Chinese media such as Xinhua News Agency and “The Beijing News” had previously echoed Iranian statements, claiming that the US military tried to bomb the missing F-15E crew member. However, the US successfully rescued the soldier soon after. Chinese netizens criticized this, suggesting that even punctuation from Chinese state media cannot be trusted, stating, “They have no shame, let alone ethics.”
According to reports, the US incurred significant losses in this two-day rescue operation, including: an A-10 “Thunderbolt II” attack aircraft worth about $18.8 million; two C-130 “Hercules” transport aircraft ranging from $150 million to $200 million; an MH-6 “Little Bird” unmanned helicopter worth around $7.5 million; and two MQ-9 “Reaper” drones totaling $60 million.
Some Chinese media coverage focused on the angle of the “staggering cost of the US military rescue, losing aircraft worth over $400 million,” sparking significant controversy online.
Many Chinese netizens praised the US military’s willingness to sacrifice everything to rescue a soldier, with comments like, “Soldier sells his life to the US military, one word: Worth it!” “Human life is priceless. Saving Private Ryan/will also be made into a movie” “The editor wanted to criticize the Americans but it backfired” “Four hundred million dollars, plus unpredictable risks, to save a possibly disabled soldier, this action is enough for the people to trust.”
Some netizens even mentioned that China had invented a device that could remotely detonate a soldier if they were separated and out of contact.
At the end of 2020, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the Tibet Military Region equipped soldiers with a combat system that drew attention. According to reports from mainland China, the controversial “Individual Digitalized Combat System” integrates navigation instruments, audio converters, and consulting functions into one. Soldiers’ helmets are equipped with satellite antennas, and they have digital terminals on their arms. The commanding officer at the headquarters can directly command individual soldiers.
This system provided by the Tibet Military Region for soldiers allows for guided artillery strikes with a single click. If captured by the Indian military, the system would self-destruct. It was also mentioned that if individual soldiers were seriously injured but did not want to be captured, initiating self-destruction could both maintain the dignity of the soldier and prevent the enemy from accessing any information from the system. If the commander notices on the screen that an individual soldier has gone far from other units and contact cannot be established, remote self-destruction would also be activated.
Many critics condemned the high-tech system promoted by China as “treating human life as worthless” and “using people as cannon fodder.”
Su Ziyun, director of the Taiwan Institute for National Defense Strategy and Resources, once told Epoch Times that the deliberate display by China of being able to remotely detonate soldiers’ helmets is very distressing. Because war does not rule out humanity. Blowing up soldiers to death remotely to protect classified equipment or prevent soldiers from defecting and revealing information is a form of “terror management.” This approach is unlikely to win a war in the long run.
China Central Television News reported in 2013 that China’s female special forces were equipped with this new type of individual digital combat system. As early as September 2012, the Chinese military newspaper was already touting this individual “digitalized combat system,” publishing an article titled “Our single soldier equipment linked command platform falls into the hands of the enemy and can be remotely destroyed.”
The actions of China, which demonstrates a lack of regard for soldiers’ lives, have a long history. During the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China practiced brutal human wave tactics.
In 2021, China released the “The Battle at Lake Changjin” film as part of the “Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea” campaign intended to boost nationalist sentiment. However, the film raised questions about the morality of the Battle of Lake Changjin and China’s disregard for the lives of soldiers. The movie documented how the Communist Party of China sent 150,000 troops into northern Korea in temperatures below minus 30 degrees Celsius without adequate cold weather gear, resulting in many freezing or getting frostbite.
In June 2020, a bloody clash erupted on the Sino-Indian border. According to Indian media reports, India had at least 20 casualties, while the Chinese side had between 35 and 43 casualties. The Indian military promptly released detailed information about the 20 soldiers killed in the conflict, holding grand national funerals for the fallen. However, China did not disclose specific casualty figures, and the names of the fallen soldiers were not released promptly; there were no public funerals until February 19, 2021 when
official Chinese media finally announced that China had 1 death and 4 injuries, but the veracity of this data was heavily questioned.