Opinion | How China’s defence law changes pave the way for greater global military influence

Name: The growth of Chinese military power over the past four decades
Uploaded: 2021-01-20T00:45:11.000Z
Duration: 2 min 31 s
Description: The growth of Chinese military power over the past four decades

By providing legal support for future overseas adventurism, the law underlines Beijing’s intent to be a more activist military power and expands the reasons it might project its power abroad – a change that could shake up global politics

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Christian Le Miere

Published: 8:45am, 20 Jan 2021Updated: 8:45am, 20 Jan 2021

Just as much of the world celebrated the dawning of 2021 and bade good riddance to the much-maligned 2020, China quietly updated key legislation that could change world events.

On January 1, an amended National Defence Law came into effect after having been approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. The seemingly technical, legalistic change would normally be unremarkable, but the amendments that were included could have profound effects on China’s legal standing and willingness to deploy its military overseas.

By providing legal support for China’s future overseas adventurism, the law both underlines Beijing’s intent to be a more activist military power and expands the reasons it might project its power overseas. As such, the little-reported amended law might be the most significant event in global politics for years.

Some amendments continue the themes in domestic politics seen in recent years. They include establishing Xi Jinping Thought as a guiding principle, centralising decision-making around President Xi Jinping and prioritising the party over the state.

For the latter, the new law shifts the balance of responsibility for certain actions from the State Council – currently headed by Premier Li Keqiang, an ally of former President Hu Jintao – to the Central Military Commission, with Xi as its chair. This commission is now the lead agency in organising and implementing national defence mobilisation.

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The growth of Chinese military power over the past four decades

Of course, there has been little doubt that it is the party organs, and the general secretary in particular, that make decisions over military deployments, mobilisation and utilisation. Nevertheless, these amendments now add de jure confirmation of the minimal role played by the state.