China Encourages High-Educated PLA Enlistment Thanks to Pelosi...

Chinese State Media Stir Nationalistic Pride Among Highly Educated Youth Over Taiwan Strait Crisis
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[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Cho Young-shin] Amid rising anti-American sentiment in China following the visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is encouraging highly educated individuals to enlist.

Photo by Baidu capture

China has set a plan to achieve military modernization by 2027 and to possess the world's strongest military power surpassing the United States by 2050.

The state-run Global Times reported on the 9th that the Chinese military is recruiting new soldiers in the second half of this year and giving preference to those holding degrees (bachelor’s and master’s) in electronics and engineering fields such as internet, communications, and drones (including current students).

China’s military, which is adopting a volunteer recruitment system, has been encouraging university and graduate students to enlist by offering various benefits such as scholarships, further education, and employment opportunities. This is based on the judgment that highly educated recruits are necessary for military modernization.

To increase the enlistment of highly educated individuals this year, the Chinese military authorities extended the age limit for enlistment of bachelor’s and master’s degree holders from 24 to 26 years old. They intend to recruit a large number of graduate students and graduates majoring in engineering into the military.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, said, “As the mechanization, informatization, and functionalization of the People's Liberation Army rapidly advance, the demand for highly educated personnel capable of operating advanced weapons has increased,” adding, “Highly educated engineering majors will further enhance the combat efficiency of the Chinese military.”

State media such as CCTV are also encouraging highly educated individuals to enlist. CCTV reported that among the 110,000 applicants for enlistment in Zhejiang Province this year, 77,000 (50,000 university students and 27,000 graduates) were highly educated.

Photo by Chinese Military Website Capture

It also explained the enlistment status of highly educated individuals by stating that more than 50% of the 8,000 applicants in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, were university graduates, and 90% of the 3,000 applicants in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, were university graduates.

The Global Times urged highly educated individuals to enlist. The media emphasized that the recruitment of new soldiers coincided with the heightened sense of crisis in the Taiwan Strait following Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and that many young highly educated people are willing to contribute to national reunification. It also reported that the military recruitment hashtag on Weibo (China’s version of Twitter) recorded over 100 million views.

The enlistment of highly educated individuals is likely to be actively encouraged by Chinese authorities as it can help reduce the youth unemployment rate among those aged 16 to 24. As of the end of June, the youth unemployment rate in this age group reached a record high of 19.3%.

Additionally, it cannot be ruled out that the authorities may promote the enlistment of highly educated women by leveraging the fact that Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, is a former female officer of the People's Liberation Army.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.