China has amended its conscription policy, with the new policy stating that should China enter a state of war, veterans and educated college students can expect to be on top of the list to be drafted.
Also read; EU will almost certainly return frozen Russian reserves – Reports
Several of China’s top universities already have military departments included in their institutions where students can combine their studies with military training.
One top official in China’s Central Military Commission told a PLA newspaper this week that colleges and universities play an essential role in recruiting and that there is a particular interest in female and male students or graduates with a background in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
China has positioned these changes as a necessary step to modernize the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and to bolster its combat effectiveness.
Fox News reported that historically, the Peoples Liberation Army, PLA (The Chinese Army) has been a military based on conscripts from the countryside.
The announcement came just days after top U.S. lawmakers traveled to Taiwan in a show of “deterrence” against Chinese aggression, which occurred simultaneously with a trip by Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen to the U.S., where she met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Read also: Is Taiwan a part of China? A short history of Taiwan
Beijing responded by launching large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island — similar to drills it launched last year after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taipei.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur