RED LANTERNS China wants to recruit more graduates for hi-tech war with Taiwan

According to analysts, the Chinese military needs people with specialized skills to modernize. The new Beijing White Paper on Taiwan proposes a reunification with less autonomy than that previously offered to the island.

Rome () – China begins the biannual military recruitment in mid-August, shortly after the visit to Taiwan of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Beijing yesterday announced the end of the military exercises that began on August 4 in response to the US official’s trip. Against this backdrop of tensions, the People’s Liberation Army for the first time raised the maximum recruitment age from 24 to 26, giving priority to graduates with science and technology backgrounds and those with military skills.

According to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, more than 110,000 people have enlisted in the army in the eastern province of Zhejiang: 50,000 are university students and 27,000 graduates. A young man told the TV channel that he had enlisted because of the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

The Beijing Evening News notes that various army combat units are looking for new recruits with professional skills as the progress of military weapons and equipment is continuously accelerating. The Armed Forces want personnel specialized in information technology, communication, engineering and repair of equipment and drones. China is preparing for high-tech warfare, analysts say, and the military is eager to recruit more educated young people to improve their capabilities.

Official statistics show that the unemployment rate of 16-24 year olds in China reached 19.3% in June. This year, for the first time, the number of university graduates exceeds 10 million. The slowing economy and rising patriotic sentiment over the Taiwan issue could encourage more young people to join the military.

Taiwan reacted to the Chinese maneuvers with its own exercises. According to analysts, China could make military operations around Taiwan routine, establishing a kind of air and sea blockade. Beijing has also launched cyber and disinformation attacks against Taipei. Chinese hackers attacked the websites of Taiwanese government agencies and universities and made offensive phrases against Pelosi appear on the screens of supermarkets and train stations.

China yesterday published its third White Paper on Taiwan, reiterating that it will not rule out the use of force to retake the island, which it considers a “rogue” province. The document points out Xi Jinping’s hard line in relation to Taipei, which must accept reunification according to the “one country, two systems” principle rejected by the main Taiwanese parties.

The new White Paper proposes less autonomy than previously offered. The 1993 and 2000 theses promised “not to send Chinese troops or administrators to Taiwan.” The phrase “everything can be negotiated” is also deleted, as long as Taiwan accepts the existence of one China and does not seek independence.

RED LANTERNS” “IS THE ASIANEWS BULLETIN DEDICATED TO CHINA

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