China changes defense law to prepare for war: The government will be able to use the resources of ordinary people; There will be punishment for not obeying orders

China has made a big change in its defense law. Now in times of war or major crisis, the government will not be dependent only on the army. If necessary, the general public, private companies and other resources of the country can also be used. The Chinese parliament (National People's Congress) approved a change in the National Defense Mobilization Law on August 28. The new law will come into effect from October 1. The new law not only has a provision to take resources but also to take them over to the government. There is a provision of action and penalties for refusing to obey orders or intentionally delaying. For the first time since 2010, a major change in the law was enacted in 2010. Now for the first time, a major change has been made in it. The new law has 14 chapters and 82 articles. According to China, its purpose is to ensure that the country can peacefully go to a state of war in a time of danger. For this, economic and social strength can also be used for defense. The new law also includes the protection of the country's sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and security, as well as 'development interests'. The Communist Party will decide, when and how resources will be mobilized. According to Samantha Hoffman, an expert at the Jamestown Foundation of the United States, the new law makes changes in areas such as party leadership, organization, reserve force, recruitment, stockpiling of essential equipment and defense-related education. Articles 3 and 16 of the law provide for national defense mobilization under the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Previously, the State Council and the Central Military Commission had a key role in it. According to Hoffman, if necessary, the party can mobilize military, civil, economic and social resources together and use them for its strategic goals. Hospitals, internet and transport will also have to be ready According to the new law, sectors such as transport, postal, telecommunications, cyber security, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, food and food supplies, and engineering will have to be prepared for national defense-related responsibilities. Units in these areas will have to form special teams. They will also be trained so that they can work immediately if needed. Cyber security has been specifically included. The law also talks about increasing defense capabilities with the use of new and advanced technologies. There are also provisions to create a reserve force, strengthen the recruitment system and increase the stockpile of strategically necessary equipment. Now development in China is also a national security issue. The 2010 law talked about activating the defense system in case of threats to China's sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and security. Now 'development interests' have also been included in it. That is, the threat to China will not be limited to the security of the border or the country. Interests related to the economy, access to necessary resources, Chinese assets abroad and technological development can also be considered part of national security. According to Samantha Hoffman, an expert at the Jamestown Foundation, this change is also related to China's National Defense Law, which was amended in 2020. That law also provided for the initiation of defense mobilization if the country's development interests were threatened. The new law may also apply to people living abroad. Some Chinese laws may also apply to people living outside the country's borders. That is, any work done abroad can also come under the purview of Chinese law. On July 1, 2026, China enacted the Sexual Unity and Progress Promotion Act. Its Section 63 provides for the law to be enforced outside the country as well. An example of this came to light in 2023. Hong Kong student Yun Ching-ting was studying in Japan at the time. When she returned to Hong Kong after posting something on social media, she was arrested. He was imprisoned for two months under the National Security Act of 2020. Is China preparing for war? After the new law, the question is being raised whether China is really preparing for war. Experts' opinions differ on this. Theresa Fallon, director of the Brussels-based Center for Russia Europe Asia Studies, expressed concern over the new law. She said on X that the threat of war is increasing in the world and it is difficult to ignore it. He questioned whether situations like the depletion of America's military reserves, the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israeli-US conflict involving Iran are forcing Chinese President Xi Jinping to think that the time for war is approaching. At the same time, Lyle Morris of the Asia Society Policy Institute says that this law should not be considered as preparation for China's sudden start of war. According to him, China has been making such preparations for more than 10 years. However, the new law definitely shows that China is not just preparing its military for a major crisis. It has also made ordinary people, companies, essential services, technology and data a part of this preparation. According to experts, Taiwan and the United States could be potential major military rivals of China in the future.