Means Xi Jinping gets new war powers

And it gets even worse from there

Welcome to China Uncensored. I'm Chris Chappell.  Support the show by hitting that like button,  

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The new year! is A time for new beginnings. And  what is Chinese leader Xi Jinping's New Year's  

resolution? You guessed it! He's going to cement  his hold over the military with new war powers!

Weight Watchers was a close second. Followed  by organizing a cross-strait family reunion.  

Everyone in Taiwan is invited! The  reunion will be at your place. 

But let's talk about Xi Jinping's new war powers.  

A revised national defense law went  into effect in China on January 1st.

And that law means that China's military  is taking charge of more war powers. 

What powers? Well the powers of  global justice of course—according  

to my favorite state-run media The Global Times.

It's all about global justice  and “safeguarding world peace.”

Because there's no better way to safeguard  world peace than to give the Chinese Communist  

Party more military control. And that's  what this national defense law does. 

“Revisions to the National Defence Law...weaken  the role of the State Council in formulating  

military policy, handing decision-making  powers to the Central Military Commission.”

And guess who's in charge of  the Central Military Commission?

I feel safer already. 

Giving this military policy decision-making  power from the State Council  

to the Central Military Commission is big.

According to one military law expert,  “The [Central Military Commission] is now  

formally in charge of making national  defence policy and principles, while  

the State Council becomes a mere implementing  agency to provide support to the military.”

The State Council is part of China's Central  Government. It's headed by Premier Li Keqiang.

Meanwhile, the Central Military Commission  is under the Chinese Communist Party.  

And it's headed by Xi Jinping.

Ok, technically there is also a Central  Military Commission under the government,  

also headed by Xi Jinping. But the Party  version is the actual one in charge. 

So with the Party's Central Military  Commission in charge of making defense policy,  

this new law strengthens  the Chinese Communist Party  

and helps Xi Jinping consolidate  more power over the military. 

Although Xi has been purging the military  to consolidate his power for years.

Now is a good time to remind everyone  that the Chinese military, the  

People's Liberation Army, belongs  to the Chinese Communist Party.  

This is not the Chinese government's  military. It's the Communist Party's military.

And with this latest change  to the law, the government has  

less control over the PLA than it previously had.  

Although in some ways, this law isn't giving  the Chinese Communist Party new powers.  

It's just reaffirming the powers that the Party  has already taken. I'll explain a bit later. 

But don't worry, the Communist Party  is here to safeguard world peace.

And I'll show you what that means after the break.

Welcome back. The Chinese Communist Party  is here to safeguard world peace...using  

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with  Chinese Characteristics for a New Era  

as the guiding thought over China's  national defense activities!

If this national defense law change is giving you  some General Hostility vibes, you're not alone.

That's my favorite soap opera about the Party's  factional infighting. And it's getting pretty  

intense. I can't wait for the next episode.  You never know who's going to get purged next!

Ok, sometimes you know who's  going to get purged next.

Anyway, back to the national defense law.  I don't want to give you the impression  

that the new law is just about  giving Xi Jinping new war powers. 

It's also about protecting China's development  interests, according to the Global Times.

Specifically, the law states that China should  mobilize its defense “when China's sovereignty,  

unification, territorial integrity, security  and development interests are threatened.”

“Development interests” is a new addition there.  So what are China's development interests exactly?

According to the Global Times,  development interests could involve  

economic interests, like overseas investments.

Hmmm, sounds like US tariffs could be considered  a threat to China's development interests. 

And development interests definitely  involve Taiwan. Because if “the Taiwan  

question remains unresolved,” that will  impair China's development interests.

Yeah there's only one way that the Chinese  Communist Party is planning to “resolve”  

the Taiwan question. It's family reunion  time! Starting with a trip to the beach. 

But on the whole, development  interests seem to be anything  

that involves China's development as defined  by the Chinese Communist Party. It's meant  

to be really broad. Basically it could  cover anything that's not already covered  

by China's sovereignty, unification,  territorial integrity, and security.

For example, China's Belt and Road  Initiative investments in other countries  

could be considered development interests.

So is the national defense law saying  that the People's Liberation Army could  

be mobilized in other countries to  defend the Belt and Road? Yes, it is.

In fact, “China has been completely forthright  

in developing an explicit military  agenda to support the Belt and Road.”

Including “pursuing a strong naval force as the  logical corollary to its 'development interests.'”

Is anyone in the Pentagon paying attention  to this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

You know what else is part of  China's development interests?  

Its military-civil fusion program. That's  where Chinese companies and universities are  

encouraged to develop technology that  has both civilian and military uses.  

And that's something that's emphasized  in this new national defense law, too.

Specifically, state owned and private  enterprises need to research conventional  

weapons, plus weapons related to cyber  warfare, space and electromagnetics.”

So the Chinese Communist Party is doubling  down on their military-civil fusion.  

And it's looking to get even more Chinese  companies involved. That includes both state-owned  

enterprises and private companies. Which, of  course, makes those companies not totally private.

This is happening just as the Trump  administration has issued executive  

orders to prevent US investors  from investing in these companies. 

But at this rate, all Chinese companies  are going to be military-linked companies.

And the Trump administration's actions are  a threat to China's development interests.

Speaking of military-civil fusion,  the new national defense law also  

says that everyone should get involved in  national defense, not just the military. 

“The revised law makes it clear that  all state organs and armed forces,  

political parties and people's groups,  enterprises and public institutions,  

social organizations and  organizations of other types  

should support national defense and  participate in its development.”

And just like the definition of China's  “development interests” is really broad,  

so is the definition of national defense. Could  “enterprises and public institutions” be ordered  

to steal research from foreign companies and  universities to support China's national defense? 

Sounds familiar, right? And that's because  overall, the new national defense law  

provides a legal framework for what the  Chinese Communist Party was already doing. 

Xi Jinping's Central Military  Commission wouldn't be getting  

these new war powers if Xi hadn't  already taken over the military.

And from militarizing the Belt  and Road, to threatening Taiwan,  

to developing military-civil fusion,  these things were already happening.  

But now they are officially justified and  spelled out in this national defense law.  

Which means the Communist Party is probably going  to accelerate everything they're already doing.

Except for that weight watchers program.

But don't worry, it's all  for safeguarding world peace.

And now it's time for me to  answer a question from one of you,  

who supports China Uncensored through  the crowdfunding website Patreon.  

If you join the China Uncensored 50-Cent  Army on the crowdfunding website Patreon,  

you can ask me questions on the show, too. Check  out patreon.com/chinauncensored to learn more.

Andrew Whittaker asks: 

When will you guys do an episode on the origins  on the CCP virus? There seems to be more meat  

on those bones now. in particular there is  plenty of circumstantial evidence around now  

to say that it did accidentally leak out  of a certain lab in a certain location!  

Even the Washington post is  starting to write about it!

Yeah, Andrew, I've also noticed that this is  suddenly being talked about now in the media.  

When before even mentioning the  possibility of the coronavirus  

coming from a lab leak was considered taboo. You  would absolutely be called a conspiracy theorist. 

But now even New York Magazine has  done a cover story on the idea.

Well, would you guys like us to do an episode  on the evidence that the CCP virus could have  

come from a lab leak? Let us know in  the comments below. That episode is  

definitely getting demonetized. Which is  why your support on Patreon is so important.

Thank you for your question, Andrew. And thank  you for watching this episode of China Uncensored.  

Remember to like this episode, make sure you're  subscribed, and hit that notifications bell.

I'm Chris Chappell. See you next time.