China
'Military operations other than war' + Garbage piles after lockdown
Dear reader,
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.
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Finn Mayer-Kuckuk
