China’s new national defense law
Means Xi Jinping gets new war powers
And it gets even worse from there
Welcome to China Uncensored. I’m Chris Chappell. Support the show by hitting that like button,
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The new year! is A time for new beginnings. And what is Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s New Year’s
resolution? You guessed it! He’s going to cement his hold over the military with new war powers!
Weight Watchers was a close second. Followed by organizing a cross-strait family reunion.
Everyone in Taiwan is invited! The reunion will be at your place.
But let’s talk about Xi Jinping’s new war powers.
A revised national defense law went into effect in China on January 1st.
And that law means that China’s military is taking charge of more war powers.
What powers? Well the powers of global justice of course—according
to my favorite state-run media The Global Times.
It’s all about global justice and “safeguarding world peace.”
Because there’s no better way to safeguard world peace than to give the Chinese Communist
Party more military control. And that’s what this national defense law does.
“Revisions to the National Defence Law...weaken the role of the State Council in formulating
military policy, handing decision-making powers to the Central Military Commission.”
And guess who’s in charge of the Central Military Commission?
I feel safer already.
Giving this military policy decision-making power from the State Council
to the Central Military Commission is big.
According to one military law expert, “The [Central Military Commission] is now
formally in charge of making national defence policy and principles, while
the State Council becomes a mere implementing agency to provide support to the military.”
The State Council is part of China’s Central Government. It’s headed by Premier Li Keqiang.
Meanwhile, the Central Military Commission is under the Chinese Communist Party.
And it’s headed by Xi Jinping.
Ok, technically there is also a Central Military Commission under the government,
also headed by Xi Jinping. But the Party version is the actual one in charge.
So with the Party’s Central Military Commission in charge of making defense policy,
this new law strengthens the Chinese Communist Party
and helps Xi Jinping consolidate more power over the military.
Although Xi has been purging the military to consolidate his power for years.
Now is a good time to remind everyone that the Chinese military, the
People’s Liberation Army, belongs to the Chinese Communist Party.
This is not the Chinese government’s military. It’s the Communist Party’s military.
And with this latest change to the law, the government has
less control over the PLA than it previously had.
Although in some ways, this law isn’t giving the Chinese Communist Party new powers.
It’s just reaffirming the powers that the Party has already taken. I’ll explain a bit later.
But don’t worry, the Communist Party is here to safeguard world peace.
And I’ll show you what that means after the break.
Welcome back. The Chinese Communist Party is here to safeguard world peace...using
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
as the guiding thought over China’s national defense activities!
If this national defense law change is giving you some General Hostility vibes, you’re not alone.
That’s my favorite soap opera about the Party’s factional infighting. And it’s getting pretty
intense. I can’t wait for the next episode. You never know who’s going to get purged next!
Ok, sometimes you know who’s going to get purged next.
Anyway, back to the national defense law. I don’t want to give you the impression
that the new law is just about giving Xi Jinping new war powers.
It’s also about protecting China’s development interests, according to the Global Times.
Specifically, the law states that China should mobilize its defense “when China's sovereignty,
unification, territorial integrity, security and development interests are threatened.”
“Development interests” is a new addition there. So what are China’s development interests exactly?
According to the Global Times, development interests could involve
economic interests, like overseas investments.
Hmmm, sounds like US tariffs could be considered a threat to China’s development interests.
And development interests definitely involve Taiwan. Because if “the Taiwan
question remains unresolved,” that will impair China’s development interests.
Yeah there’s only one way that the Chinese Communist Party is planning to “resolve”
the Taiwan question. It’s family reunion time! Starting with a trip to the beach.
But on the whole, development interests seem to be anything
that involves China’s development as defined by the Chinese Communist Party. It’s meant
to be really broad. Basically it could cover anything that’s not already covered
by China’s sovereignty, unification, territorial integrity, and security.
For example, China’s Belt and Road Initiative investments in other countries
could be considered development interests.
So is the national defense law saying that the People’s Liberation Army could
be mobilized in other countries to defend the Belt and Road? Yes, it is.
In fact, “China has been completely forthright
in developing an explicit military agenda to support the Belt and Road.”
Including “pursuing a strong naval force as the logical corollary to its ‘development interests.’”
Is anyone in the Pentagon paying attention to this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
You know what else is part of China’s development interests?
Its military-civil fusion program. That’s where Chinese companies and universities are
encouraged to develop technology that has both civilian and military uses.
And that’s something that’s emphasized in this new national defense law, too.
Specifically, state owned and private enterprises need to research conventional
weapons, plus weapons related to cyber warfare, space and electromagnetics.”
So the Chinese Communist Party is doubling down on their military-civil fusion.
And it’s looking to get even more Chinese companies involved. That includes both state-owned
enterprises and private companies. Which, of course, makes those companies not totally private.
This is happening just as the Trump administration has issued executive
orders to prevent US investors from investing in these companies.
But at this rate, all Chinese companies are going to be military-linked companies.
And the Trump administration’s actions are a threat to China’s development interests.
Speaking of military-civil fusion, the new national defense law also
says that everyone should get involved in national defense, not just the military.
“The revised law makes it clear that all state organs and armed forces,
political parties and people’s groups, enterprises and public institutions,
social organizations and organizations of other types
should support national defense and participate in its development.”
And just like the definition of China’s “development interests” is really broad,
so is the definition of national defense. Could “enterprises and public institutions” be ordered
to steal research from foreign companies and universities to support China’s national defense?
Sounds familiar, right? And that’s because overall, the new national defense law
provides a legal framework for what the Chinese Communist Party was already doing.
Xi Jinping’s Central Military Commission wouldn’t be getting
these new war powers if Xi hadn’t already taken over the military.
And from militarizing the Belt and Road, to threatening Taiwan,
to developing military-civil fusion, these things were already happening.
But now they are officially justified and spelled out in this national defense law.
Which means the Communist Party is probably going to accelerate everything they’re already doing.
Except for that weight watchers program.
But don’t worry, it’s all for safeguarding world peace.
And now it’s time for me to answer a question from one of you,
who supports China Uncensored through the crowdfunding website Patreon.
If you join the China Uncensored 50-Cent Army on the crowdfunding website Patreon,
you can ask me questions on the show, too. Check out patreon.com/chinauncensored to learn more.
Andrew Whittaker asks:
When will you guys do an episode on the origins on the CCP virus? There seems to be more meat
on those bones now. in particular there is plenty of circumstantial evidence around now
to say that it did accidentally leak out of a certain lab in a certain location!
Even the Washington post is starting to write about it!
Yeah, Andrew, I’ve also noticed that this is suddenly being talked about now in the media.
When before even mentioning the possibility of the coronavirus
coming from a lab leak was considered taboo. You would absolutely be called a conspiracy theorist.
But now even New York Magazine has done a cover story on the idea.
Well, would you guys like us to do an episode on the evidence that the CCP virus could have
come from a lab leak? Let us know in the comments below. That episode is
definitely getting demonetized. Which is why your support on Patreon is so important.
Thank you for your question, Andrew. And thank you for watching this episode of China Uncensored.
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I’m Chris Chappell. See you next time.