During the two sessions of the CCP, many high-speed roads in mainland China, including Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, were closed, sparking widespread attention online. At the same time, veterans who had previously retired were called back to serve, and an urgent appeal from the Ministry of National Defense was circulating online. Netizens expressed concerns about national defense and military mobilization with the closed roads. A confidentiality request on Douyin indirectly confirmed the speculations of netizens.
On March 8th, a blogger named “Lao Zhao Sui Bian Liao” from Guangde City, Anhui Province, drove back to Guangde and found the Guangde Expressway closed, both on and off ramps blocked.
The blogger had to detour and drive directly to Sian, Huzhou (Zhejiang Province), and then turn around to get back, adding over an hour to his original travel time. He warned his friends to be aware of the detour.
In the comments section, another netizen from Fujian, “A Coffee-Making Teacher”, confirmed the situation, saying, “I drove from Changxing back to Guangde, detoured to Shijie and then came back to Guangde via a different route, adding nearly an hour to the journey.”
Many comments in the section mentioned that many highways across the country were closed for military operations and urged others to give way to military vehicles and not cause disturbances to the country. The urgency of military operations was highlighted in various regions.
On the same day, a netizen from Shandong posted a picture of the Tancheng Expressway toll station closed, stating that the Shanghai-bound direction of the Tancheng Expressway was prohibited from passing and the expressway was closed.
In her comments, a Shanghai netizen, “Zhanlang,” posted a picture of tank transport and said, “Recruitment on the road.”
CCTV has previously reported on the importance of the Tancheng section of the expressway, which is a key section of the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway in Shandong Province. A 2020 CCTV report stated that the Tancheng section of the Shandong Beijing-Shanghai Expressway expansion project achieved a bidirectional eight-lane connection.
On March 8th, a netizen from Guangdong, “Ban Lu Chu Jia,” posted a video saying he was stuck on the expressway. Another netizen from Guangdong, “Zhang-SIC,” immediately replied, saying, “Recruitment during wartime, although no fighting, but simulating wartime procedures.” A netizen from Anhui, “Ti Ye,” replied, saying, “Because the country has initiated a level one military readiness.”
A netizen from Hunan, “New Day,” said, “Temporary military control, let heavy equipment pass first.”
On March 8th, a netizen from Hebei, “Jia Cheng Zhong,” mentioned waiting in line for a day in Cangzhou Economic Development Zone without seeing the highway entrance. Another person from Hebei responded, stating that the situation indicated a second-level national wartime readiness with controlled roadway access.
The Beijing authorities had previously mentioned that roads like the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway would implement temporary traffic management measures segment by segment and at different times. According to information released by the Beijing Transportation Bureau, on the morning of March 7th, the CPPCC National Committee would hold a meeting at the Great Hall of the People.
Furthermore, on March 8th, a video circulated on mainland social media showing many soldiers queuing to board the high-speed train. Some commenters noted that the soldiers seemed to be older and shorter in stature, speculating that they were recalled veterans.
A netizen from Shaanxi mentioned receiving orders to stay home and be on standby, revealing they were a navy submariner.
A netizen from Guangxi disclosed that their cousin, who was supposed to return home in the past two days, was unable to due to military duties, forcing a change in plans. A person from Henan mentioned that their brother, who was working on a construction site tying rebar, was also called back.
There were also discussions pointing out the recall of veterans and the tense situation at hand.
On March 8th, a father was reported to have mentioned on social media about sending his son back to the military in response to a superior notification. A netizen from Guangxi commented, “We reservists have received notifications and are ready to fight at any time.”
As the online discussions continued, an urgent appeal published by the Ministry of National Defense of the CCP also went viral. The appeal emphasized the need to avoid sharing any military information that could compromise operational security online.
The official notice reiterated the temporary closure of highways for military mobilization purposes due to immediate and secrecy needs, warning against sharing videos or images of military facilities and equipment to maintain confidentiality.
Finally, the Ministry of National Defense indirectly verified the speculations from netizens through a notice issued on the Douyin platform, confirming that the highway closures were indeed due to military mobilization requirements.
Last month, the Ministry of National Defense of the CCP announced the “Internet Military Information Dissemination Management Measures,” consisting of five chapters and thirty articles, effective from March 1st, regulating military websites, platforms, accounts, and information dissemination on the internet. Since the implementation of these measures, military bloggers have disappeared from social media platforms.