Commentary The Chinese regime’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region is becoming a hot topic, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has told troops to prepare for war. However, there is a growing number of draft dodgers and deserters in China. What are the reasons behind this phenomenon? What does it reflect? I used to work at the grassroots level of government organizations and assisted in the conscription process. I would like to share what I know about draft dodging and desertion in China. First, a lot of young men refuse to serve in the military because they think it’s too difficult. Under the one-child policy, many young people are spoiled and do not want to bear hardships—this phenomenon is known as “little emperor syndrome.” Some of them find the recruit training very challenging, and when they think about the difficult days ahead, they will escape from the military camps regardless of the …