China amended its defence mobilisation law in late August 2026, triggering a barrage of alarmist rumours online, with many posts misrepresenting the measure as a sweeping new piece of legislation. The provisions on military service and conscription have been in place since 2010, contrary to circulating claims. Experts told AFP some notable revisions to the law address the use of recent technologies such as artificial intelligence for warfare.
One ill-informed Threads post that incorrectly interpreted the revisions claimed: “The Chinese Communists unveil the National Defence Mobilisation Law: they can now forcibly conscript young men.”
“The conscription age has also been extended to 18 to 60 years old for men, and 18 to 55 for women. These show they are preparing for war,” adds the August 29 post, written in simplified Chinese.
Another baseless post shared on X on September 2 suggests the legal changes constitute a direct mobilisation order.
It says “everything will be locked down” once the law takes effect. The accompanying graphic states everyone within the age of conscription “all bear the mandatory duty of national service”.
Screenshots of misleading posts taken September 9, 2026, with orange cross marks added by AFP
Similar claims spread in English and Korean after China’s legislature adopted amendments to the country’s National Defence Mobilisation Law on August 28 — the first since the legislation came into force in 2010 ( archived link).
The posts prompted comments speculating about Taiwan, with some saying Beijing will soon “launch a war” or “invade” the self-ruled island.
China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, deploying fighter jets and warships around the island on an almost daily basis and staging several large-scale drills.
China’s Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island democracy is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it. China also asserts jurisdiction over Taiwan’s surrounding waters.
However, while changes to the law expand some of the government’s powers, an AFP review found many of the stipulations highlighted in the misleading posts already exist in the original version ( archived link).
Misrepresented amendments
Chapter IX, Article 49 of the 2010 law states: “Male citizens aged 18 to 60 and female citizens aged 18 to 55 shall perform national defence duties in accordance with the law.”
The same provision is indicated in Chapter IX, Article 58 of the amended legislation.
Moreover, the amended law does not constitute a direct mobilisation order and in fact requires China’s president to issue one when certain conditions are met.
Chapter II, Article 13 states: “When the sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, security, and development interests of the state are threatened, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress shall, in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws, decide on a nationwide or partial mobilisation.
“The President of the People’s Republic of China shall issue a mobilisation order based on the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.”
President Xi Jinping approved the revised law on August 28. There are no official reports he issued a mobilisation order ( archived link).
China’s flag is raised as a military band plays during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025.
Greg BakerAFP
‘Emerging areas’
The revisions provide for new powers to the government in certain areas, such as allowing the state to order mobilisation when China’s “development interests are under threat” — a condition absent in the 2010 version.
The amended law also introduces penalties for those failing to provide accurate information on resources available to the state during mobilisation.
Shen Ming-shih, a research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defence and Security Research, notes that some revisions are aimed at updating the law in response to the latest military and technological developments ( archived link).
He told AFP on September 3 new provisions on mobilisation were introduced in “emerging areas”, which he said are aimed at folding “non-traditional and new tech areas” such as cyberwarfare, space war and artificial intelligence into the scope of mobilisation.
Other changes are semantic, such as changing the Chinese wording for “reservists” to “reserve personnel”, Shen added.
AFP separately reached out to Lin Ying-yu, an associate professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies ( archived link).
He referred to a report published in Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, where he was quoted as saying the revision focuses more on allowing the Chinese state to leverage the private sector to support national defence ( archived link).
AFP has fact-checked other misinformation related to the Chinese military.