China is trying to talk its way out of a growing problem with its military veterans
BEIJING (Reuters) – A senior Chinese officer appealed to military veterans on Tuesday not to take complaints about their treatment to the streets and to “rationally” lodge appeals for redress.
At the annual meeting of parliament in March, China set up a Ministry of Veterans Affairs as part of a broader government reshuffle, aiming to better look after former soldiers whose complaints about poor treatment have flared into scattered protests in recent years.
In February 2017, Chinese military veterans staged two days of demonstrations in central Beijing, demanding unpaid retirement benefits in a new wave of protests highlighting the difficulty in managing demobilized troops.
There were also protests in the eastern province of Jiangsu in June.
Speaking at a news briefing ahead of Wednesday’s Army Day, which marks the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Fang Yongxiang said their door to accepting petitions about problems was always open.
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