New Law Governing Chinese “Non-War” Military Operations Implemented

File image of People's Liberation Army soldiers at a training facility in Cambodia's Kampot province on March 15, 2020. Image via Xinhua.

A draft law regulating the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s “Military Operations Other than War” (MOOTW) took effect on Wednesday. The regulation covers activities like disaster relief, humanitarian aid, escort operations, and peacekeeping. 

Signed by President Xi Jinping in his capacity as head of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the regulations potentially facilitate PLA patrols of oil tankers and give it the power to suppress protests at home, including overriding Chinese domestic law. The full text of the outline regulations hasn’t been released. 

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