On the eve of the annual political sessions, Professor Li Li of the Armed Police Command Academy visited a People's Armed Police unit to hear front-line concerns about legal gaps affecting service members. Troops reported ambiguity in legal standards governing online infringements and personal data leaks, and pointed to inconsistent local implementation of preferential policies on housing, medical care and children's education for military families. Li took detailed notes and discussed practical reforms with officers and enlisted personnel, seeking fixes that would be usable at the grassroots level.
A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Li has combined classroom teaching, legal aid and policy advocacy since taking office. She has repeatedly submitted proposals on defence education and military legal construction, and a proposal to better integrate national-defence content across school curricula prompted official feedback and commitments from education authorities. Li argues that producing officers who 'know, understand and use the law' is a direct contribution to combat effectiveness, and she has worked on publicising and revising the Law on the People's Armed Police.
Li's concerns are concrete: servicemembers face weak legal footing when internet harms and personal-information breaches occur, and local governments sometimes diverge from central or military regulations when they implement benefits for troops and veterans. These frictions can leave service members uncertain about entitlements and legal remedies, undermining morale and trust in institutions designed to protect them. Li has sought to translate legal norms into clear, practical guidance through "law-to-the-barracks" outreach trips to highland islands and border posts, turning abstract rules into operational tools.
Her work is part of a broader official push to deepen legal knowledge inside the armed forces, a priority that sits alongside the Party and military leadership's ongoing emphasis on discipline, political reliability and professionalisation. Clarifying legal standards on cyber harms and data protection would help troops manage modern operational risks, while harmonising local implementation of preferential policies would reduce administrative disputes and protect service members' welfare. At the same time, legal institutionalisation within the military serves dual purposes: empowering individuals with rights-consciousness while strengthening centralised, rule-based management under Party direction.
Li plans to press for making education about the People's Armed Police Law systematic and enduring, turning ad hoc training into an institutionalised curriculum. For international observers, these initiatives illustrate how Beijing is extending 'rule-based' practices within state institutions in ways that both professionalise and consolidate control. For troops on the ground, clearer rules and predictable benefits are immediate improvements to daily life and operational readiness.