The Chinese Ministry of Education has issued a notice encouraging college students, especially recent graduates, to join the military. This measure has sparked widespread discussion. Some netizens questioned whether this move is in response to the current challenging job market, while others believe that it is a dual strategy aimed at boosting military strength and alleviating employment pressure in the context of escalating trade tensions between China and the United States.
The Ministry of Education of the Communist Party of China announced in a press release on April 9th that they have recently issued a notice, instructing local universities to carry out the recruitment work of the Communist Party’s higher authorities and intensify recruitment propaganda efforts on campus.
The notice states that there should be widespread promotion of the “recruitment propaganda entering campuses” activities, making full use of national recruitment websites, university official websites, WeChat public accounts, short video platforms, and other media. They encourage and guide more young students, especially recent graduates, to join the military and complete the recruitment process for graduates by the end of August.
With the ongoing China-US trade war, the release of the above information has sparked heated discussions among netizens. Many believe that the authorities are aiming to supplement the military manpower and it may also be a tactic to alleviate the increasingly severe youth employment pressure in recent years.
“How to alleviate employment pressure?””There are too many young people and too few job opportunities.””Has the employment situation become critical to this extent?”
Recently, some self-media personalities have posted videos on social platforms promoting the “benefits” of military service, including “money to take home”, among others. Some netizens also believe that the Chinese authorities, while caught in the middle of the protracted China-US trade war, are deliberately recruiting soldiers to stimulate a so-called patriotic sentiment, serving as a “dual strategy” to not only enhance military strength but also alleviate employment pressure.
In response, some netizens questioned in their comments: “And then what? Return to delivering food after coming back?”
It is worth noting that despite the authorities frequently describing military service as “honorable” and “promising,” in reality, the willingness of Chinese youth to serve in the military is generally low. Reports of young people in various parts of the mainland being punished for refusing military service have been increasing in recent years, with the number of cases growing each year. Moreover, there are students who deliberately gain weight, feign illness, or even arrange long-term overseas stays to evade military service, reflecting grassroots resistance to serving in the military.
On October 22, last year, a recent college graduate named Zhang in Nanfeng County, Jiangxi Province, was fined 6,000 RMB by the local government for “refusing to fulfill military service obligations” and was blacklisted.
According to regulations, Zhang received 7 joint disciplinary actions. His household registration was marked with “politically unfit, refusal to serve in the military,” which would affect the political assessment of future employers. In the next two years, he will not be able to go abroad, pursue further education, apply for civil service or jobs in institutions, obtain a business license, or bank loans. Additionally, his parents are also affected and cannot apply for government-subsidized housing within two years.
On February 22, 2021, Ru’zhou City, Henan Province, issued a public notice regarding the punishment of a post-2000 young person in the city for refusing military service. Besides being fined 36,000 RMB, the young person faced a series of penalties.
Public opinion believes that the authorities’ punitive measures are quite severe.