The Chinese military is pushing the government to introduce wartime legislation to defend the country’s sovereignty and national interests with force if needed amid the growing tensions over Taiwan with the US, a media report here said on Saturday.
The deputies of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s legislature, during its current session, called for an urgent need for such legislation, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper reported.
The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) has a substantial number of PLA deputies in the NPC, regarded as the rubber stamp Parliament for its routine approvals of the party’s proposals.PLA deputy Wu Xihua, who was among those pushing for wartime legislation, said China should step up law-making for the military.
Ye Dabin, another PLA deputy, said: “Taking our wartime needs into account, (we should) begin studying wartime legislation in a timely and systematic manner,” the Post report said.
Zhang Like, commander of the Shandong Provincial Military District, suggested that China should push for the “introduction of laws such as the mobilisation of reserve forces”.Other deputies called for legislative changes related to the PLA’s overseas operations, which have expanded in recent years and include the establishment of a military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and naval escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia. Yuan Yubai, a former commander of the Southern Theatre Command, said Beijing should strengthen legal research and study international laws related to national defence to improve “the rationality and legitimacy” of the Chinese military’s overseas missions.
US military and intelligence officials have warned there could be a conflict over Taiwan as early as 2027, the Post reported.Beijing claims that the US is using Taiwan as a “pawn” to undermine China’s rise, and will continue to take stronger measures to push back against perceived increases in support for Taiwan. Xie Dan, a military law expert in Beijing, said Taiwan was a key factor behind the calls for wartime legislation.