From now on, media and individuals in mainland China who make a living discussing military topics may need to be cautious. Any discourse related to the military domain will now be subject to regulation under the newly announced “Internet Military Information Dissemination Management Measures.” Residents in mainland China may find it increasingly difficult to hear anything other than the glorification of the CCP’s “greatness, brightness, righteousness,” and its powerful military in the direction of propaganda.
On February 8, a number of departments including the Central Military Commission Political and Legal Committee of the CCP, the Ministry of Public Security, the National Security Bureau, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, and the Ministry of National Defense jointly issued the “Internet Military Information Dissemination Management Measures.” This measure specifically aims to regulate the information space related to military matters. The “Measures” seek to standardize the guiding ideology of online discourse, regulate political opinions and values, and impose what they term “rigid constraints” on units and individuals who do not comply. The document also elaborates on a “Confidentiality List for the Dissemination of Military Information on the Internet,” in an effort to prevent the spread of sensitive military information from the source, while also requiring local functional departments to strengthen the management of military-related internet information dissemination.
According to the CCP, cybersecurity and informatization are crucial for its long-term governance, and the cyberspace information environment plays a significant role in the construction of the CCP’s military.
With the advancement of information technology, military information dissemination often leads to issues of leaks and compromises in secrecy, undermining the image of a strong military that the CCP has tried to portray. For example, the underlying reasons behind the purging of senior officials in the CCP military have been continuously exposed, revealing corruption within the military, internal power struggles at high levels, and exaggeration in military preparedness, military technology, and advanced equipment, among many other dark aspects not meant to be seen.
More importantly, there are also genuine external sources of information entering the mainland information space, enabling people in China to understand some of the realities that the CCP would rather keep hidden regarding their authoritarian machinery, military, military technology, equipment, as well as certain aspects of their border and overseas operations. To prevent all this from raising public awareness or shaking the morale of the military, perhaps this is a key driving factor behind the tightening of military information control by the CCP.
The “Measures” stipulate that internet military information providers and audiences are strictly prohibited from discussing issues that may “endanger national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.” The CCP fears discussing these issues, especially within the military information sphere, because their current foreign policy easily exposes the ugly truth of the CCP’s cowardice masked by a facade of regional dominance and aggression. Their actions display a regional hegemony and aggressiveness, under the guise of upholding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, attempting to export the CCP’s political ideology and expand regional, even international influence.
The CCP behaves aggressively towards smaller neighboring countries and adversaries, using thuggish tactics, threatening Taiwan with military force and escalating “gray zone operations” between China and Japan over disputed islands. They have brazenly clashed with the Philippines, seizing tiny islands in the South China Sea. However, when it comes to Russia, they meekly surrender large swathes of northerly territory occupied by Russia, including strategically vital passages from mainland China to the Arctic. If the CCP truly represents China, then, in order to maintain national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and their significant international strategic position, they should prioritize and primarily engage with Russia to address historical disputes over occupied territories and border issues. Particularly in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it presents a good opportunity for China to reclaim lost territory and address historical grievances. However, in reality, the CCP has not taken such actions; instead, they have formed an “unlimited friendship” partnership with Russia amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This demonstrates that the CCP’s external expansion is not aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity but rather at the suppression of smaller neighboring countries and bowing down to stronger adversaries.
In conclusion, the “Measures” restrict freedom of speech to only praising the CCP and its military as “great, bright, and righteous,” or promoting the absolute leadership of the CCP over the military. Any other content relating to sudden military events, major military decisions and deployments, significant military operations, important weapon and equipment construction, and critical sensitive issues must reproduce official information from central and military major media outlets. Any information from other channels, regardless of its veracity, is likely to be classified as biased, misleading, illegal, or harmful information, or seen as undermining the CCP and its military, and thus must be regulated in accordance with the law.
Perhaps military media personnel in mainland China need to consider changing their line of work quickly. Otherwise, under strict control and regulation, they may face repercussions at any time, or their “fans” may vanish like viewership from the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.