Why did Chinese provincial civilian officials appear in military uniform?

Senior local officials attending military events in camouflage may be trying to remind society of the need to remain alert to security threats at all times

Under China’s party-state system, officials are expected to support the military in areas such as recruitment and military-civilian integration

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Wang Xiaohui, Sichuan’s Communist Party chief, and other provincial officials appear in uniforms at an event at a local base. Photo: Weibo/ 湖北朱会明

Published: 6:00am, 17 Dec 2023

Dozens of Chinese civilian officials made a rare public appearance in military uniforms at provincial defence events recently in an effort to drum up support for the armed forces and promote military-civilian integration.

Although such military reviews are regular events, one former cadre said the aim of such appearances was to keep people alert to security threats and warn civilian officials not to let their guard down.

Earlier this month, Wang Xiaohui, Communist Party secretary of Sichuan, and a handful of his subordinates appeared in camouflage uniforms displaying no marks of rank or other insignia to inspect People’s Liberation Army troops at a provincial “defence day” event at a base in the capital Chengdu.

They changed into the uniforms following a provincial military affairs meeting, where Wang urged civilian officials to continue to help the military and strengthen national defence education, according to a report on Sichuan’s official broadcaster’s primetime bulletin.

He also said he hoped troops stationed in the province – which has been hit by a string of earthquakes in the past two decades, including one that killed more than 60,000 people in 2008 – would continue their role of helping with disaster relief and rescue operations.

The meeting also heard from the Sichuan military region’s political commissar Tian Xiaowei about the building of national defence reserve forces in the province.

Officials dressed in military uniforms for a visit to a military base. Photo: Weibo/ 湖北朱会明