China takes steps to expand military training in schools

China says it has begun revising its National Defense Education Law, a move analysts say aims to expand military training at universities, high schools and even middle schools. While the previous version of the law was a looser guide, the proposed changes say high school students and those at institutions of higher learning should receive basic military training during school. Junior high school students are also allowed to receive military training, according to the revisions. The responsibility for military training is put more squarely on central and party authorities, the Ministry of Education and the Communist Party's Central Military Commission - China's top national defense body. The revisions also call on local military bases and central authorities to strengthen the direction, oversight and organization of military training for students. Analysts who spoke with VOA's Mandarin Service see a connection between the proposed changes and the impact China's economic downturn and global geopolitical tensions are having on the ruling Chinese Communist Party, or CCP. Timothy Heath, a senior fellow for international defense at the RAND Corp., says the revisions are part of a more systematic approach to national defense education that aims to strengthen Chinese leader Xi Jinping's authority. Analysts also say that while the extra emphasis on national defense awareness could feed into already rising nationalist sentiments and feed hostility or prejudice against the outside world, it could also encourage more young Chinese to join the military.