The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is preparing for war, according to China analyst and author Gordon Chang. Several recent developments in China’s policies—particularly an amendment to China’s National Defense Law—could signal that the regime is prepping for a full mobilization of its military, according to Chang. “China’s newly amended National Defense Law takes certain powers over military matters from the civilian State Council and gives them to the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, which controls the People’s Liberation Army,” Chang said in an email to The Epoch Times. “That move centralizes military decision-making. Moreover, the amendment, which relates to war mobilization, signals that the regime is preparing the Chinese people for conflict.” In addition to centralizing the authority for military mobilization, Chang noted that the CCP was making efforts to effectively sanction-proof its political elite by forbidding certain officials from owning foreign real estate or shares in offshore companies. “Shedding these assets, therefore, makes those individuals immune to one of today’s most commonly imposed sanctions.” Through the centralization of authority over military mobilization and the shoring up of economic defences against potential international sanctions, Chang believes that the CCP is preparing for the possibility of armed hostilities and China’s neighbours could be potential targets.
