China may extending its military presence in the South China Sea at an alarming rate, but it appears that the country's military is also on the lookout for Western forces on the internet. On Wednesday, China's military released an editorial in their newspaper speaking stressing on the importance of the Internet as a battleground for "Western anti-China forces."

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In order for the Chinese government to survive and achieve needed online control, an "online Great Wall" is needed, Chinese military leaders said.

"If we don't occupy the internet, someone else will. If we don't defend this territory, we will forfeit it, which could even allow hostile forces to use it to attack our bridgehead," read the May editorial in the People's Liberation Army Daily.

"Western anti-China forces have consistently sought in vain to make use of the Internet to topple China," added the commentary, adding that the Internet is a "hidden war" for the public's hearts and minds, proving a direct threat to China's economic stability.

Apart from the PLA editorial, the Chinese Army also called for propaganda teams, to be called a "massive Red Army," to defend the online Great Wall.

China already operates one of the world's strictest censorship machines, nicknamed abroad as the "Great Firewall," reported Reuters.

The Great Firewall blocks any access considered perilous to China's Communist Party, according to Defense Systems. Thousands of government employees work at blocking social media websites as well as cleaning search engines for terms and subjects banned in the country. 

In line with the new May editorial published by China's Army, a new security law is also underway. If implemented, the definition of national security and cyber security will become more vague, making online activists more vulnerable to persecution as authorities are given more freedom.

The new law, if implemented, will "provide a legal means for the government to further criminalize online expression and ratchet up internet censorship," according to nonprofit group, Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

There are over 600 million internet users in China, and more and more users are able to find methods of working around censors using virtual private networks, or VPNs. The government's distrust in the internet's role in Chinese society is therefore apparent.

VPNs are now being monitored, and Chinese authorities are finding ways at reinforcing setbacks in the Great Fire Wall, according to Quartz.

Tagschina’s online great wall, the great firewall, china US online war, Great Cannon, People’s Liberation Army, virtual private networks, VPN, china’s military