Amid internal and external challenges facing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a draft amendment to the “National Defense Education Law” in China was submitted for deliberation by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress today (September 11). Analysts believe that the CCP’s move to amend the law is aimed at training reserve personnel, preparing for war, and addressing the issue of youth unemployment.
The 14th session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress is taking place in Beijing from September 11 to 13. The draft amendment to the “National Defense Education Law” was submitted for the second deliberation during the meeting today. Prior to this, the first deliberation took place during the 9th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress held in April.
As reported by official media, the second draft of the amendment clearly stipulates that ordinary universities and high schools (including schools at the same stage) should strengthen military skills training according to the outline for student military training, to enhance students’ willpower, organizational discipline, and improve the level of military training. Military units stationed in the area should “assist schools in organizing student military training.” The outline for student military training is jointly formulated by the CCP State Council’s education administrative department and relevant departments of the CCP Central Military Commission.
The draft amendment emphasizes the crucial role of school defense education in conscription work. It states that school “defense education” should be combined with “military conscription propaganda education” to enhance students’ “awareness of military service” and create a “good atmosphere of serving in the military.” Additionally, the second draft amendment also improves provisions related to conducting education and training for reserve personnel.
In recent years, with the CCP facing a “severe and complex international situation,” the authorities in Beijing have repeatedly called for being prepared for “danger during peacetime” while also being prepared for “storms.” The revision of the “National Defense Education Law” at this moment has led to speculation outside about the party’s intention to be prepared for war.
Regarding why the CCP is amending the “National Defense Education Law,” Major General Yu Zongji, former dean of the Political Warfare College of the National Defense University in Taiwan, believes that this is not a simple or coincidental phenomenon. It should be seen as President Xi Jinping actively preparing for the possibility of war, considering how to quickly mobilize the entire country in case of conflict, particularly in organizing young students, defending internal security, and protecting critical infrastructure.
On the 11th, Major General Yu Zongji stated in an interview with Dajiyuan, “During this period, we have seen, on TikTok or the internet, scenes where top students from Tsinghua University are participating in military training courses, with various universities following suit in showcasing student training.”
“This is also to some extent related to the Russia-Ukraine war,” he said. The Russia-Ukraine war has been ongoing for almost three years now. In August, the Ukrainian military launched an unprecedented attack on Russian territory, nearly taking control of the entire province of Kherson. This has made the CCP aware that while launching a war, internal security measures and defense capabilities are crucial. Given China’s vast territory, deploying troops to the front line could leave the rear vulnerable. Therefore, it is now actively strengthening its organization of young people internally.
Major General Yu Zongji pointed out that the CCP’s current pace of military modernization is very fast, but the more sophisticated the weapon systems, the more high-quality talents are needed. Therefore, it seems that during this time, deliberately mobilizing students from various universities to receive military training in advance, so that when they graduate from university, they can join the military with leadership positions, will be a critical source of highly qualified personnel for the CCP’s next stage of national defense modernization. Additionally, due to the poor economic conditions internally, this can also to some extent address the issue of youth unemployment.
He emphasized that the CCP’s target now is not only universities but even starting from high school and junior high, implementing what is known as national defense for all from a young age. And the current amendment is aimed at meeting the urgent needs in these three aspects.
Major General Yu Zongji also stated, “We have seen that many young Russians, after joining the battlefield, flee, surrender, with a very high surrender rate. Therefore, the CCP, seeing these weaknesses, is now strengthening university or high school students so that they can be the first and second wave of reserve manpower when mobilization and reinforcement are needed in the future.”
“The CCP’s goal is to conduct military and especially ideological propaganda education on them, to stabilize these young people’s loyalty to the CCP, for the so-called honor of serving the CCP, to avoid the situation that Russia faced on the mainland. Therefore, actions like these are certainly in preparation for war.”
The current “National Defense Education Law” of the CCP was passed by the 9th session of the 21st meeting of the Standing Committee of the 9th National People’s Congress in 2001. It underwent a “bundled modification” with other laws in 2018. The draft amendment to the “National Defense Education Law” submitted for deliberation today stipulates that defense education will be included in the curriculum from primary school, ensuring that elementary students have a basic sense of national defense consciousness; middle schools can organize student military training; and students at ordinary higher education institutions and high school levels should undergo basic military training during their academic years.
With the annual autumn enrollment of new students, military training has once again become part of the schedule in schools across China. According to recent reports, a female student at the Shancounty Vocational Secondary School in Heze, Shandong, died from heatstroke during military training conducted under the scorching sun. In addition, several female students in Anhui also suffered heatstroke during military training and were sent to the hospital for treatment.
Military training has sparked discontent among many parents, leading to questioning on the Chinese internet about the meaning of “military training.” Some netizens have expressed, “How can one or two weeks change a person? It’s completely a massive conformity test.”
As early as 1955, the CCP’s “Military Service Law” made its first legal provisions regarding student military training. The large-scale military training program began in the 1980s. The Central Military Commission required the military to prioritize student military training as an important matter.
Cai Zhigang, who previously served as a military training instructor for new university and high school students, stated that such military training holds no significance for children but is very meaningful for the CCP.
“The main purpose of military training is conformity training,” he said. “It’s about teaching children how to obey.” He mentioned that military training in mainland schools includes physical training and brainwashing through indoctrination similar to political ideology classes, with the routine having little difference from the basic training in the army. The ultimate goal is to cultivate blind loyalty, to love the country and the party, and then to make sacrifices unquestionably for the party.
He said, “One of my biggest doubts back then in the military was, why did we have to constantly engage in political education, and much of it was about saying that the army belongs to the party, not the country. I couldn’t distinguish then, but whatever you say is correct, the army must be right. As a result, unknowingly, it gradually became its party’s security force.”
Cai Zhigang pointed out that this is a design from the CCP’s top leadership to safeguard their party’s interests, not the nation’s interests. By starting comprehensive brainwashing from an early age, when they grow up, they won’t have much courage and independent thoughts. Their role will just be to serve this machine as small cogs.