The Chinese Communist authorities have claimed that they are willing to use force to attack Taiwan in order to achieve so-called “unification.” This has prompted even retired military personnel to declare, “If there is a war, we will answer the call!” However, some retired soldiers are refusing to be conscripted. Despite the authorities using various tactics, incidents of retired military personnel advocating for their rights have been frequent in recent years, but their difficult situations are rarely reported within the country. Some exiled former soldiers are urging both current and retired military personnel in China to see through the true face of the Communist Party.
Recently, a video of a Chinese retired soldier went viral on the internet. In the video, he stated, “I served in the military for 12 years, and my original intention remains unchanged, even though I am retired…” before proceeding to showcase his sword skills. Chinese netizens flooded the comments section, calling for the government to pay more attention to the mental health issues faced by veterans. (Video link)
Some netizens commented, “In the harsh reality faced by veterans advocating for their rights, this kind of self-aggrandizement that doesn’t require the responsibility of the state but is self-satisfying is not valor, but rather a cognitive distortion that needs treatment, or one might call it a mental illness.”
In February 2025, the Chinese Ministry of Veterans Affairs officially announced that the Internal Regulations of the People’s Liberation Army would come into effect on April 1, 2025. The regulations clearly state the oath that retired soldiers must take, with the final line being, “If there is a war, we will answer the call!”
Originating from Sichuan, former soldier Fang Yuan (pseudonym) served in the army for 8 years before retiring in front of 2016 without proper resettlement. He worked on construction sites for 5 years, doing manual labor for 3 years, and started working as a security guard last year after his divorce. “I have completely given up now. After I’m done with being a security guard, I’ll return to my hometown and wait for death,” he told a reporter from Dajiyuan.
When asked if he would answer the call if a war broke out with Taiwan, Fang Yuan replied, “I’m old now, so I wouldn’t go. Let those who have been properly settled, received consolation money, and have urban household registration go; they are all better than me.”
Around the Chinese New Year, petitioners from all over the country, including retired soldiers, traveled to Beijing to raise their grievances.
On February 9, 2026, outside the Fengtai Veterans Affairs Office in Beijing, an elderly veteran climbed a tree to prepare for hanging himself, expressing his despair. (Video link)
On February 7, in a video from Guangdong, a retired soldier expressed disappointment at the “condolence gifts” given by the government during the New Year, which only included “propaganda flyers and couplets.” He had expected to receive a consolation payment. In the video, with a sarcastic tone, he said, “Thank you to the country, thank you to the government, I am already in tears.” (Video link)
Zuo Rongmin, a former airman who retired in 1993, was reported to have traveled from Liuzhou to Guangzhou in September 2025, and allegedly faced joint attacks from organized criminal groups and stability maintenance forces for advocating for his rights. His accounts were blocked, his lawyers were suppressed, and he was rushed to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital ICU in Guangzhou on September 28 after being poisoned. Online reports mentioned that his symptoms highly suggested thallium and arsenic poisoning. (Video link)
Zuo Rongmin recently disclosed to a reporter from Dajiyuan that his whole body has turned black, and he had reported the incidents to the police in Guangzhou. The Guangzhou police claimed that the events were being handled by authorities in Liuzhou and the poisoning was organized from there. “They said my case has already been filed, and one case cannot be filed twice. So, everywhere I go, it’s the same. This stability maintenance is national; no matter where you go, they pinpoint your location.”
Zuo Rongmin is currently in Guangxi and mentioned that he no longer has the money for medical treatment.
On January 29 of this year, it was officially announced that Sun Shaocheng, Deputy Director of the Social Construction Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress, was under investigation.
Sun Shaocheng previously served as the Secretary of Inner Mongolia and was the Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Veterans Affairs from March 2018 to June 2022.
Furthermore, in the recent extensive military cleanup, the former and current Deputy Ministers of the Chinese Ministry of Veterans Affairs and assistant directors of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, Major Generals Fang Yongxiang and Yang Youbin, have both encountered troubles.
Chinese veteran Zhang Heli, currently residing in exile in New Zealand, expressed that corruption among these officials is inevitable, as there is no official within the Chinese Communist Party who refrains from seeking personal gain.
“The head of the office for veterans’ affairs in our neighborhood, you have to visit him to make a record, offer him cigarettes, and take him out for meals. Only then will he arrange work for you. This society is far from normal,” he remarked.
The plight of retired soldiers is a reflection of the future fate of active duty soldiers. Zhang Heli mentioned that after his release from prison in 2020, he interacted with current servicemen. “They thanked us and acknowledged our assistance in advocating for their rights. But they seem extremely empty and brainwashed. The welfare propagated by the Communist Party has deceived them.”
Chinese affairs expert Li Linyi told Dajiyuan that Xi Jinping’s recent intensive military cleansing activities have led to even esteemed military leaders like Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Yuxia, being arrested, resulting in widespread unease among the military. Moreover, the despairing circumstances faced by retired soldiers will also impact the current serving military personnel. The Chinese Communist Party is currently blocking negative news domestically while strengthening its brainwashing of military personnel through nationalism.
Zhang Heli stated that the Communist Party has been governing through lies and urged all current and retired military personnel in the country to wake up and see the true face of the Chinese government. He emphasized that unless the Communist Party is overthrown and dissolved, the Chinese people cannot truly prosper.