Chinese military troops on low morale, claims leading Japanese daily

Tokyo/Beijing – China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which boasts about being the largest military, is facing a crisis due to the low morale of its troops, claimed a leading Japanese daily. An article published in Nikkei cited the single child policy and other socio-cultural factors are responsible for the low morale of troops. The mental health of the army could be catastrophic in a sustained war. Thus, the Japanese daily has drawn attention to PLA’s focus on developing ballistic missiles and drones due to its realisation of its soldier’s low morale.

The Japanese daily has cited two decisions taken by China’s ruling regime over the past year. The first decision was building facilities for launching new intercontinental ballistic missiles in an inland desert region. The second decision is to increase birth rates by aiding child education. China has tremendously enhanced its military infrastructure in the South China Sea. However, they are not confident of defending it in case of war, as claimed in the article.

Three years ago, a Chinese submarine had suddenly raised a white flag and surfaced near the Senkaku Islands of Japan. The Japanese daily claimed that this was out of fear of getting targeted. Nikkei, in an article, voiced the opinion of Japanese and US experts claiming the incident to be evidence of mental fatigue and low morale of the Chinese soldiers. The article expresses uncertainty on the aircraft carriers and warships to leave their naval bases in case of war, even though China has been aggressive in developing these warships.

China’s PLA is considered the world’s largest One Child Army, as more than 70% of soldiers are the only child of their respective families. This is a result of the one-child policy of the ruling communist regime in China. The Japanese daily also emphasised the fear of Chinese soldiers. It is the social pressure of taking care of the family in case of their death in a war.

The article brings out a social perceptive, as Chinese society pays little respect for individuals serving in the army. Therefore, in the last few years, China has been compelled to conduct forced recruitment campaigns for its defence forces, which included enrolling a large number of women as claimed the leading Japanese daily.

China has shifted its focus to increase the use of technology to overcome the challenges of low morale of the troops. This article correlates the strategy of the growing use of fighter jets, submarines, and drones with the mental health issue of the troops. The article concludes with advice to Japan and other countries to strengthen their defences in response to changing strategies of China.