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BBC Chinese: China Conscription Health Examinations Exposed Many Issues

BBC Chinese recently reported, based on government sources, that, according to data collected through the nationwide conscription process, a large number of candidates did not meet the lowest physical and health requirements for joining the military. Some cities even invalidated almost 57 percent of the applicants. On average, 20 percent of the candidates were overweight. Many candidates suffered liver issues and had eyesight problems. Studies of the conscription candidates showed that the poor health conditions were directly related to drinking alcohol and a large volume of soda, spending long hours on cellphones, and a severe lack of sleep. China’s soldiers used to be drafted mainly from rural villages, where people do heavy labor work in agriculture. Now more and more military candidates are from the urban population with most of the individuals enjoying a city life style. The studies also showed that, in the 1980’s, the Communist Party allowed the military to conduct business like commercial companies. Though that policy was called off a decade later, the entire military has been corrupted ever since. Now the physical quality of the Chinese military is a big national security concern.

Source: BBC Chinese, August 24, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-41042658

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Social Stability

The Second China-Made Aircraft Carrier Approaches Completion

Radio France International (RFI) recently reported, based on China’s official information, that China’s second domestically made aircraft carrier is about to be completed. Experts estimated that the carrier is not far from delivery to the Chinese Navy. Some Hong Kong media sources revealed that the new carrier is a model 002 instead of the previously rumored model 001A. It seems the new carrier is being constructed at the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company. At the end of year 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Defense confirmed that the work on China’s second carrier had started. However, there is no additional information anywhere describing the differences between Model 001A and 002. It is not unusual for the Chinese Navy to have ship models that change during the process of construction. It happened before. The same company constructed China’s Aircraft Carrier that is currently in service, the Liaoning.

Source: RFI, August 21, 2017
http://bit.ly/2w76rZk

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Xinhua News Analysis: U.S. Army Cyber Command to Upgrade; Cyber War Is No Longer a Future Concept

China’s state media Xinhua published a news analysis on U.S. President Trump’s announcement to elevate the U.S. Cyber Command to a Unified Combatant Command. It said that the upgrade of the U.S. military cyber command to the U.S. military tenth joint operations headquarters, a status equivalent to the U.S. Central Command and other major combat commands, means that cyber space is officially listed as the U.S. military’s fifth battlefield along with marine, land, air, and outer space. Thus the worrying trend of the militarization of cyberspace has been further exacerbated.

The article quoted a statement that the Commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, Michael Rogers, made at a Congressional hearing in May, “Every conflict in the world now has a conflict in the dimension of cyber space. … A cyber war is not a future concept or a film scene. It has a real existence.”

The article stated in conclusion, “At the beginning of the establishment of the U.S. military cyber command, Commander Keith Alexander asserted that it would not promote the militarization of space in the military. Since then, however, Britain, Germany, France, Japan and other countries have announced the formation of cyber forces. Now the upgrade of the U.S. military cyber command is likely to trigger other countries to follow suit, thus further intensifying the arms race in cyber space.”

Source: Xinhua, August 18, 2017
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2017-08/19/c_1121509545.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

The Paper: List of Army Commanders Published

A Chinese media, The Paper, published an official list of the commanders and political commissars of each of the 13 Armies of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

It also stated, “During this round of military reform, the PLA cut over 1,000 units at the Regimental level or above. It cut nearly half of the non-combat staff and 30 percent of officers. It deployed a few dozen military units and all of them moved out in three days. A few hundred generals were re-assigned to different posts and they all reported to their new office on the same day they received the order.”

Source: The Paper, August 16, 2017
http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1765430

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Central News Agency: The List of Commanders of Each Army

Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported a list of the commanders and political commissars of each of the 13 Armies of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which they said they obtained recently. The PLA has recently cut its 18 armies down to 13. Comparing the heads of the old 18 armies and the new 13 armies, most of them remain at the top army posts and some were re-assigned as the Army Commander or Army Deputy Commander at a military region (theater command).

Top commanders of each army were all moved out of their own army unit and assigned to another one to eliminate the small interest groups they might have formed when they were in charge at the old army.

Source: Central News Agency, July 30, 2017
http://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201707300107-1.aspx

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Retired Officials Excluded from the PLA Anniversary Celebration Event

On August 1, China held the Celebration Party for the 90th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping gave an important speech.

All of the seven Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee members and current high-rank military and Party officers sat on the rostrum. However, none of the retired officials, from either the military side or the Party, was seated on the rostrum. This is totally different from the 70th or the 80th anniversary celebration where the retired officials were on the rostrum.

A political commentator suggested that this showed Xi has full control of the military, exceeding what the previous leaders had.

Source: Epoch Times, August 2, 2017
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/17/8/2/n9487950.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Government/Politics

Xi Jinping: We Absolutely Cannot Allow Splitting China

On August 1, China held the Celebration Party for the 90th Anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping gave a speech, stating “We absolutely will not allow any person, any organization, any party, at any time, using any means, to split any piece of China’s land from China. No one should expect that we will swallow the bitter result from the damage to our nation’s sovereignty, security, or development.”

Source: Duowei, July 31, 2017
http://news.dwnews.com/global/news/2017-07-31/60004426.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Government/Politics

People’s Daily: The Meaning of “Greetings, Chairman!”

Xi Jinping inspected the large-scale of military parade in Inner Mongolia on July 30, 2017, for the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Xi changed the greeting between himself (the inspector) and the soldiers to Xi’s stating, “Greetings, comrades!” and the troops’ shouting back, “Greetings, Chairman!”

This is the second time that Xi used this greeting. The first time was when Xi inspected the military parade in Hong Kong on June 30 this year.

In the past, the greeting was, “Greetings, comrades” and the response was, “Greetings, leader!”

People’s Daily published an article on its overseas website Haiwai Net to comment on the significance of the change to, “Greetings, Chairman!”

“China National Radio’s military commentator Luu Xicheng commented that this reflected the system that the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) is in charge. The troops’ shouting ‘Greetings, Chairman!’ highlighted the key identity of the CMC Chairman and demonstrated the entire army’s attitude and will to follow the Chairman’s orders.”

Zhai Xiaomin, Professor of the PLA’s International Relations Institute commented that the CMC Chairman occupies a significant position in the military structure. “The current military reform structure ensures the implementation of the system that the CMC Chairman is in charge.” “PLA is an army under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) direction. ‘The (Communist) Party directs the gun.’ ‘Greetings, Chairman!’ shows the CCP’s principle of controlling the army from the political direction. It is a manifestation of the Party’s absolute control over the army.”

{Editor’s note: There are two CMCs in China. One is the state CMC and one is the CCP’s CMC. These two CMCs are just two name plates belonging to the same person. The CCP’s CMC is what most of the people refer to. Thus Professor Zhai thinks “Greetings, Chairman” has a political implication.

The Chinese term “主席” could mean either the Chairman of the CMC or the President of China. The People’s Daily article clarified that it meant the CMC Chairman.

Source: Haiwai Net, August 2, 2017
http://opinion.haiwainet.cn/n/2017/0802/c353596-31049372.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Government/Politics