Includes bad credit records, denial of civil service jobs, overseas travel restrictions

Frontier soliders take part in a rescue competition in a drill on the occasion of marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Darhan Muminggan United Banner of Baotou City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2015. Photo: Xinhua

Authorities in Northeast China vowed to punish 26 people, who tried to avoid military duty, by listing them in the bad social credit record, which would affect their applications for loans or taking high-speed trains or flights.

Heilongjiang provincial authorities published a notification to punish these people, who refused military service and were removed by the army in 2018, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported on its WeChat on Wednesday.

They would be listed in the bad credit record and will be shared on the provincial credit information platform, the notification said.

Other disciplinary measures include banning them from being hired as civil servants or staff members governed by civil service law; preventing them from going abroad for two years; and no admission or re-entry in college for two years.

"Two cases are usually considered shirking military service obligations: Refusal or evasion of registration for military service or physical examinations; and new recruits, who dishonorably served in the army, refused to make corrections after being educated and were sent home," a retired soldier, 25, who had served in the army in South China and requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

According to the Military Service Law, Chinese citizens are obligated to perform military service. Men and women under the age of 18 may be enlisted for active service on the basis of military needs and on a voluntary basis.

The law also states that those who refuse to serve will not be admitted as civil servants, employees of state-owned enterprises or be allowed go abroad for further studies within two years.

Such people mostly fear of hardships and difficulties in the army, but they should have known the consequences when backing out of the duty, the retired soldier said.

"Serving in the army, although hard, is honorable and helps develop the person. I'm really thankful for that experience," he noted.

Heilongjiang's inclusion of the credit system in the punishment could frighten the public and strengthen the young generation's awareness of the obligation, Li Daguang, a professor at the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, told the Global Times.

China plans to build a government-led national social credit system by 2020 to assess individuals, enterprises and government agencies, according to an outline issued by the State Council in 2014.

Media reported that authorities of East China's Anhui Province, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Southwest China's Guizhou Province have also used the social credit system to punish those who refuse military service.