Chinese military personnel march during the parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China on October 1, 2019.uit
- The official news website of China's People's Liberation Army recently posted a story about a new recruit who was penalized for quitting the military.
- Zhang Moukang will face a two-year ban on foreign travel and will have to pay a $4,000 fine, among other punishments.
- According to CNN, a few dozen soldiers have faced similar punishments in recent years for leaving what is essentially a volunteer force.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A new report shows how big of a deal quitting the military is in China, where even dropping out of the physically demanding recruit training can spell an end to normal life.
The official English-language news website of the People's Liberation Army recently posted a story about a new recruit who decided to quit after only about a month of service.
Zhang Moukang, whose age is not given, enlisted in the army in September, but found himself "unable to adapt" to military life, according to China Military Online. He asked to quit in October, and "despite his troops' patient exhortation, he persisted in dropping out" in November.
According to the report, the new recruit was then hit with eight punishments ranging from a two-year ban on travel to more than $7,000 in fines and reimbursements. Here all eight of the punishments:
- A two-year ban on foreign and domestic travel, buying real estate, going to college, and starting a business.
- A lifetime ban on working for the government, even as a temporary staffer. This is a big deal since China's communist government means that many jobs are government jobs.
- His military status will be changed to "rejection of military service."
- A $4,000 fine for leaving the military, in addition to paying back the government for the costs they incurred taking him on as a soldier and housing him, which amounts to $3,750.
- A cancellation of his preferential treatment as a serviceman.
- A public shaming via TV, newspaper, and social media reports.
CNN reports that there have been a few dozen similar cases in recent years of soldiers in China being punished for leaving the military.
It's an interesting system since China has an essentially volunteer force, according to CNN. Though the People's Liberation Army is technically compulsory, they get so many volunteers that they've had to get more discerning in recent years with who they take, focusing now on college-educated individuals.
It's likely that Zhang was in basic training or recently graduated from it, showing the huge stakes for someone new to uniform. His fate is in stark contrast to that of US recruits, who can refuse to continue their basic training or fail physical tests and are likely to be processed out of the service without lasting repercussions.
It's also important to note how the military publicized this story on their English-language news website.
Adam Ni, a China researcher at the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University in Australia, told CNN that it appears the military is trying to "make an example out of" Zhang by making his punishments known to "broader society."
Ni said "this is an example of some of the tensions that the PLA faces. On the one side it needs to project a image, a good image, and on the other side it has needs to deter what it considers to be bad behavior and insubordination."
Read the full story at CNN.com»
- Read more:
- 7 intimidating images from China's 70th anniversary show just how powerful its military has become
- China's military power may surpass the US's faster than you think, thanks to 6 shrewd strategies
- China's biggest military weakness is the US' biggest strength
- The Chinese military has deployed armored vehicles to Europe for the first time as Chinese medics train in Germany