China

China has threatened to impose sanctions on US companies involved in a massive arms deal with Taiwan, and accused the US of interference in domestic affairs after the State Department approved the biggest sale of arms to the island in decades.

World military expenditure has risen to $1.822 trillion in 2018, representing an increase of 2.6 per cent from 2017, according to new data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

How do armies outside Europe/North America recruit?

Although Europe and the United States might have their armies all over the world – and if not their armies, they surely use economical “cooperation” and development “aid” backed by their military force to maintain their political and economical influence – they are not the only countries with Armed Forces. In fact, most states in the world maintain Armed Forces. How then do other major military players recruit for their Armed Forces?

According to an article posted on the World Socialist Website, China issued a student military training programme, jointly by the ministry of education, the general staff headquarters and the general political department of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on 21 April. This programme formalises military training throughout the country’s high schools and universities.

According to a report in People's Daily Online, new recruits of the People's Liberation Army will in future need to pass psychological tests. This is in response to increasing mental and psychological problems among young people in China. According to the report, the PLA recruitment office and research departments started piloting the psychological tests in 2002 in over 400 cities and counties. Over 100,000 applicants have taken the tests.

According to a report by Xinhua, the Chinese Armed Forces are due to start their winter recruitment on 1 November 2005, according to an order jointly issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

It urges governments and military recruitment departments at different levels to take it as a serious political task and ensure a completion of the recruitment.

Those who are qualified to be recruited by the Army include rural youth with the least educational background of junior middle and urban youngsters with a schooling of high school or even higher.

Day 1 (Sunday, 26 June): Peace in North East Asia (Opening Panel)

The opening panel will introduce the different security threats and peace related issues of the region to the international and regional audience and also introduce concept of non-violent resistance, which WRI has pursued so far, and will contribute to peace movement in this region. For this panel, we aim to get speakers from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China and WRI members.

Introduction

War Resisters' International, the international network of pacifist organisations with 80 affiliates in 40 countries, founded in 1921, is cooperating with South Korean partner organisations for an international seminar on Peace in North-East Asia, to be held in South Korea in June 2005.

Report from the international seminar in Seoul, 26-29 June 2005

The 2005 WRI annual seminar was entitled “Peace In North-East Asia” and focused on a variety of related topics over 3.5 days. It consisted of a mixture of panel discussions, small workshops and a nonviolence training session.

The WRI Women's Working Group has had a long standing interest in women's militarization, including the role of women in militaries. This last issue can be a problematic one for feminist pacifists. Pacifists have no interest in encouraging women to join the military; rather, they support anti-militarist work that keep both women and men out of the armed forces. Conservative forces that support a restricted and traditional view of women's place also strongly oppose women in the military.

15/03/1998 1 Conscription

conscription exists

Conscription has existed since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Conscription is enshrined in art. 55 of the constitution, which states: "It is a sacred duty of every citizen of the People's Republic of China to defend his or her motherland and resist invasion.

Gunfree South Africa

Adèle Kirsten, whom some readers will remember meeting at the WRI women's gatherings in Ireland and Thailand, has been appointed the National Co-ordinator of Gunfree South Africa. Gunfree South Africa is committed to reducing violence throughout the country by reducing the number of weapons, especially light firearms, now available.