- Xi allows foreign operations ‘other than war’
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Masks, rubber gloves, disposable protective suits, test swabs – pandemic control has unexpected side effects here and there: Today, Ning Wang looks at waste. In China, the prevailing belief is that the virus can be transmitted on surfaces or through food. That’s why deliveries to homes are wrapped in plastic three times. Add the fact that billions of rapid tests must be disposed of as hazardous medical waste. The result is a 40-fold increase in the daily volume of waste. China’s otherwise clean boom metropolises choke under mountains of garbage. But a wider problem is emerging: Government plans to reduce plastic are being set back years.
Meanwhile, Xi Jinping is taking a step forward in defense strategy. In the future, he will allow more military operations abroad. The prerequisite is that it be a “non-war” operation. In fact, not every army deployment is the same as a war, and China has already participated in many peacekeeping missions. But in light of Russia’s sprawling “special operation” in Ukraine, an uneasy feeling creeps into this choice of words, writes Michael Radunski.
Finn Mayer-Kuckuk
Feature
Sights on Taiwan? Xi approves ‘military operations other than war’
Xi Jinping, in his capacity as Chairman of the Central Military Commission, has approved a series of new plans that will allow China’s armed forces to conduct military operations abroad in the future. However, only under the condition that they are “military operations other than war”. Military operations other than war (MOOTW) are missions abroad such as disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, or even peacekeeping operations. “Organizing and conducting military non-war operations are of great importance to effectively fulfill the military’s missions and tasks in the new era,” the People’s Daily reports, summing up: With this step, Xi Jinping is consistently implementing his own thoughts on strengthening the military.
Xi’s directive covers 6 chapters and 59 articles. Although the exact contents have not been published, it is clear that the consequences are far-reaching. According to a report in the Global Times, the People’s Liberation Army troops could from now on protect China from spillover effects of regional instabilities, secure important transport routes for strategic materials such as oil, and defend China’s foreign investments, projects and personnel.
It quickly becomes clear that Xi’s directive creates the legal basis for the People’s Liberation Army to effectively protect China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests abroad. The Global Times emphasizes that there are only good intentions behind this: China’s armed forces engaged in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and played an important role in saving lives during natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.
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