The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is facing a significant issue with its veterans, and it is well aware of this problem. In an effort to address the situation, the Central Military Commission and the State Council recently released a new regulation that aims to provide preferential treatment for veterans in finding employment after leaving the military. Chinese leader Xi Jinping emphasized that military service should be respected by society as a whole and that veterans should be among the most respected individuals in society.
However, just a month later, a large-scale protest erupted in Shandong Province in eastern China. The protest was sparked by an incident where a woman drove into oncoming traffic and got into an altercation with another driver who had the right of way. She proceeded to verbally abuse and physically assault him, causing his nose to bleed. Bystanders recorded videos of the incident and shared them online. The woman was subsequently given a 10-day detention and fined 1,000 yuan ($140) by the city’s public security bureau.
The videos quickly went viral, and it was revealed that the man involved in the altercation was a veteran when he spoke to Chinese state media about it. Many people online criticized what they perceived as lenient punishment for someone who had harassed others and disrupted traffic. In response to these events, thousands of former military personnel gathered in Qingdao, demanding further investigation into this insult against one of their fellow veterans.
According to Shi Shan, an expert on China contributing to The Epoch Times, veterans are currently the only civic rights group within Chinese society that possesses strong cohesion and some degree of organizational structure. He noted that due to concerns about active soldiers witnessing challenges faced by veterans as potential previews of their own futures, CCP authorities are hesitant to openly crack down on this group.
China has been steadily reducing its military forces over time from six million at the end of the Korean War down to two million today through various reductions announced at different points since then under Xi’s leadership.
Since around mid-1990s onwards until now when Veterans Affairs Ministry came into existence there have been protests organized almost every year by veterans expressing dissatisfaction with post-army life conditions primarily due difficulties faced while seeking employment opportunities.
Two major demonstrations occurred before Veterans Affairs Ministry creation; first one took place October 2016 where around 10k vets petitioned Beijing’s Central Military Commission building staging sit-in demanding better resettlement; second one happened February 2017 when tens thousands protested surrounding Beijing’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection office building frustrated over local officials’ lack action addressing resettlement pension issues
Yao Cheng former lieutenant colonel CCP navy fled US said approximately 20k vets participated protest top military officials were involved organization work
By then anti-corruption campaign launched Xi back 2012 already deeply affected military several top officials including two former vice chairman Central Military Commission were sacked
China’s struggling economy also added woes
Under China’s veteran resettlement regulations subsidies benefits received come both central government local governments Yao said local governments bear larger share
But China’s local governments running out money according financial report released September from January July out provinces except Shanghai incurred fiscal deficits Qingdao where veteran incident happened deficit ¥7 billion ($1 billion) first seven months year
Shi stated CCP’s tight grip society inevitably leads two issues reflected country’s veteran problem First cost maintaining totalitarian regime extremely high relies violence absolute control over military judiciary legislature media Second ruling elites inevitably seek maximize interests often expense people “While these problems may less visible during periods economic growth social conflicts certain escalate when economy enters prolonged downturn” Shi said
