China Proposes to allow Youth from Hong Kong, Taiwan to Join Military

Taiwan deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC) Cai Peihui has proposed to allow youth from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to join the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Cai came up with the proposal after he learned that some Hong Kong young people who live in the Chinese mainland with their parents want to apply to military academies and “join the PLA to fulfill their duties as citizens and contribute to the country's national defense,” Chinese government-owned Global Times reported citing All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots statement.

Allowing young people from Hong Kong and Macao to join the PLA was proposed by lawmakers and political advisors as early as 2018. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong proposed during the two sessions in 2018 to allow Hong Kong students who studied in Chinese mainland universities to join the PLA and grant them preferential policies such as tuition reductions.