Chinese companies raising their own military units
- In Reports
- 04:23 PM, Feb 21, 2024
- Myind Staff
Chinese companies are reintroducing a practice reminiscent of the 1970s by forming their own volunteer armies, termed the People's Armed Forces Departments (PAFD). This resurgence, described as a 'legacy of the Mao Zedong era', indicates Beijing's escalating concerns regarding social unrest and external challenges.
According to a CNN analysis of state media reports, at least 16 major Chinese companies, including a privately-owned dairy giant, have formed fighting forces in the past year.
These units, referred to as the People's Armed Forces Departments, consist of civilians who continue their regular employment. They serve as a reserve and auxiliary force for China's military, the world's largest, and are mobilized for various tasks, including responding to natural disasters, assisting in maintaining "social order," and providing support during wartime.
These forces, currently confined within China's borders, bear a closer resemblance to America's National Guard rather than its militia movement. The militia movement typically denotes private paramilitary groups with a right-wing political orientation.
Analysts suggest that the creation of corporate brigades underscores Beijing's mounting apprehensions regarding potential overseas conflicts and domestic social unrest amidst economic challenges. Moreover, this resurgence is viewed as a component of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's endeavors to strengthen the Communist Party authority over society, encompassing the corporate realm.
Neil Thomas, a fellow specializing in Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Centre for China Analysis, remarked that the resurgence of corporate militias reflects Xi's heightened emphasis on the imperative to align economic development with national security, given the country's anticipated challenges of slower growth and heightened geopolitical competition.
He also highlighted that corporate militias, operating under military guidance, could enhance the Communist Party's capacity to suppress incidents of social unrest, including consumer protests and employee strikes.
After Covid restrictions were lifted in early 2023, China's economy has struggled to rebound strongly. Despite growing by 5.2% in 2023, slightly surpassing Beijing's official target, the country faces numerous challenges, including a significant property market downturn, escalating youth unemployment, deflationary trends, increasing corporate defaults, and heightened financial strain on local governments.
Protests are on the rise in China, with labour strikes and demonstrations surging to 1,794 in 2023, more than doubling from the previous year, according to data from the China Labour Bulletin. About a year ago, clashes erupted between protesters and police at Foxconn's iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, sparked by dissatisfaction over unmet promises to improve wages and benefits after the pandemic.
China faces mounting geopolitical challenges, including strained relations with the United States, President Xi's backing of Vladimir Putin amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and escalating military activity near Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
Image source: ANI
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