중국, 민간 기술·산업 ‘전시 국방력’ 전환 법제화…국방동원법 16년 만에 대수술

China has significantly revised the National Defense Mobilization Law for the first time in 16 years, aiming to quickly convert civilian technology and industrial resources into military capabilities in times of war or similar threats, according to a report by Zhu Tong News on July 25. The 14th session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee's 24th session discussed amendments to the law, which defines "mobilization" as ensuring rapid transition between peacetime and wartime and transforming economic and social capabilities into military ones when national interests are threatened.

The new law emphasizes centralizing and reorganizing the roles of the central government and regions within the mobilization system. The 4th session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee reviewed the preliminary draft in April, and further revisions have been made through consultations. The amendments include provisions for promoting the application of advanced technologies and developing mobilization capabilities in emerging fields such as drones, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

The move is seen as a reaction to the need to strengthen "new-type warfare" capabilities, as well as addressing the gap between China's military reforms and the existing National Defense Mobilization Law, which was drafted in 2010. The law is designed to facilitate the identification and rapid mobilization of resources held by the military, local governments, businesses, and research institutions.

This includes tracking down civilian drones, transportation means, specific semiconductor factories, and military spare parts plants to ensure quick mobilization during wartime. The law also aims to resolve discrepancies arising from China's military reforms, such as the transformation of the 7 major military departments into 5 major ones in 2016.

Since 2019, China has been actively reforming its military structure, and since the end of 2022, local governments have been setting up military mobilization liaison offices. The research suggests that these changes will make the military and regional command structures clearer, reducing confusion about which entity is responsible for overall national mobilization.