The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is expanding its military recruitment, particularly in rural areas.
Recently-leaked CCP recruitment documents state that the CCP’s recruiting focus should be on college students, while also recruiting widely in the countryside, “leaving no dead zones” (no unrecruited rural areas). For those Chinese citizens who leave their city of residence to travel for work or school, it is mandatory that they register with the military regarding their travel plans. Expert observers believe this expanded recruitment activity is preparation for large-scale war.
The CCP is focused on recruiting college graduates, who are suitable for adaptation to modern information warfare. Rural recruits are also targeted to provide a large pool of soldiers whose casualties may have less immediate economic and political impact. There are reports that the CCP has been recruiting discharged soldiers back into service only 5 years after they leave the military, as well as relaxing requirements to allow military service by people with criminal records.
New military recruitment regulations enacted in May 2022 have enabled this expansion. The new regulations include allowing retired soldiers to re-enlist, as well as directives to recruit students with high-tech skills. The CCP has completed a nationwide military service registration covering the country’s entire population, signaling preparation for war.
According to expert Yuan Hongbing, a Chinese legal expert living in exile in Australia, the CCP under Xi Jinping is waiting to see what will happen in the 2024 US presidential election. The CCP believes that, regardless of who wins, the result will divide America for years, creating a window of opportunity for the CCP to attack Taiwan. Yuan says China’s war preparations are likely focused on seizing this window of time in 2025-2027. Expanded recruitment from rural areas in particular will provide “cannon fodder” for large-scale combat operations against Taiwan planned for this period.
Source: Epoch Times, February 12, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/12/n14179638.htm