Chinese companies are forming volunteer armies called Peoples Armed Forces Departments (PAFDs), reflecting Beijing s concerns about social unrest and foreign threats. These units, reminiscent of the Mao Zedong era, act as a reserve force for the military and can be deployed for various missions, including disaster response and maintaining social order.
China News: Chinese companies are establishing their own volunteer armies, known as the People’s Armed Forces Departments (PAFDs), reflecting Beijing's concerns about social unrest and foreign threats. This article explores the reasons behind this move and its implications for national security.
By Ryan Martinson
A Chinese fishing vessel appears in a sensitive location near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, a South China Sea reef, or just offshore from a U.S. military base. Is it an “ordinary” fishing boat, or is it maritime militia?
This straightforward question seldom yields straightforward answers. China does not publish a roster of maritime militia boats. That would undermine the militia’s key advantages secrecy and deniability. Nor is it common for Chinese sources to recognize the militia affiliations of individual boats. Analysts can gather clues and make a case that a vessel is