Chinese President Xi Jinping has set the legal basis for an expansion of Beijing’s military role in other countries, just weeks after inking a deal with the Solomon Islands. The islands are located in the vicinity of Australia and New Zealand, both of which voiced concerns about the potential of Chinese military presence there. Interestingly, the new rules would not only increase the foreign presence of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) but also define its role in ongoing activities including peacekeeping missions, and disaster management amongst others.
A report published by Solomon Times, on Wednesday, revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping has approved a new set of trial outlines that allow Chinese Armed Forces operations that “were not war”. It said that he signed off a total of 59 articles. Meanwhile, an article published by the ruling Communist Party’s mouthpiece Global Times justified the act saying that it is to “safeguard China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests.”
“Chinese troops can prevent spillover effects of regional instabilities from affecting China, secure vital transport routes for strategic materials like oil, or safeguard China’s overseas investments, projects and personnel,” a statement published in the Global Times said.
China, which claims rights over almost all of the South China Sea and its islands, has been steadily but sternly bolstering its military presence in the region. Former Australian PM Scott Morrisson had previously remarked that the Chinese military presence on the Solomon Islands did not come as a surprise. “This is an issue of concern for the region but it has not come as a surprise. We have been long aware of these pressures,” he said. Morrison also added that it concerned Australia’s National Security as well as regional security.
China building naval facilities in Cambodia
Earlier this month, a media report revealed that China was secretly building a naval facility in Cambodia for military service – the second such overseas outpost and a first in Indo-Pacific. Previously, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had only established a naval military base in the East African country of Djibouti. The report in Washington Post revealed that the military outpost would be situated in the northern portion of the country’s Ream Naval Base, on the Gulf of Thailand.