Students explore the aircraft carrier knowledge exhibition boards during a national defense education themed activity hosted by a primary school in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, on March 18, 2024. Photo: VCG

Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday started deliberating a draft revision to the Law on National Defense Education. Experts believe that this move is part of the country's efforts to enhance the citizens' national defense awareness, as well as providing a stronger legal foundation for advancing national defense education in the new era.

The draft was submitted to the ninth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) for a first reading in Beijing on Tuesday.

Consisting of 39 articles in six chapters, the key changes of the draft focus on clarifying the guiding principles of national defense education, the leading system, and relevant responsibilities, according to NPC spokesperson Yang Heqing during a press briefing held on Friday.

The revision also includes expanding social national defense education and strengthening the guarantee for the education. Also, regulations on related funding, social donations and cultural heritage protection have been included, said Yang.

The Law on National Defense Education was originally passed in 2001 and was revised as part of a package of modifications in 2018 along with other laws.

The revision of the law is part of a series of actions the country is taking in face of the evolving national security landscape in the new era, Zhi Zhenfeng, a research fellow with the Institute of Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The current law has played a crucial role in regulating and ensuring national defense education for all citizens. However, it has gradually exposed some aspects that are not adapted to new situations and changes. It is necessary to revise it to better align with the new system, address emerging challenges and provide a "stronger legal foundation for advancing national defense education in the new era," Zhi said.

The national defense education is a systematic project that requires the law to provide a solid framework which supports its national defense education for the public, according to Zhi.

National defense security is an important component of national security. The law revision will strengthen citizens' awareness in protecting the country's sovereignty and territorial security, Li Wei, a researcher and security expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The revision of the law also aims to improve the national defense education system in schools by refining its goals, content, and methods. According to some school staff members reached by the Global Times, there has been a noticeable emphasis on strengthening national defense education in schools across the country during recent years.

"Our school is teaching students to be disciplined, promoting the spirit of hard work and inspiring patriotism," Wu Shengrong, director of the moral education department in Shanghai Luwan Senior High School, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Chen Faming, a vice principal in charge of the moral education in Wenzhou No.22 Senior Middle School, told the Global Times on Tuesday that "our school has incorporated national defense education into the school curriculum with a one-week course each year," with activities such as military training, competitions held to raise students' awareness of national defense security.

During major holidays and commemorative events, the school also organizes students to engage in activities including visits to martyrs' cemeteries, revolutionary sites and museums, said Chen.

Experts also suggested that themed activities can be explored annually to encourage more participation in national defense education efforts. Inaugurated in 2001, the National Defense Education Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of each September.