China gives itself right to mount anti-terror ops abroad December 28, 2015 11:59 AM Beijing (AFP) - China has legalised overseas counter-terror operations by its military, details of a controversial new law showed, as it tries to tie violence linked to mainly Muslim Xinjiang into global concerns about extremism. Under the counter-terrorism legislation passed at the weekend Beijing "may send personnel outside the border to carry out anti-terror activities" when the "relevant country" agrees, according to the text published by the official Xinhua news agency. The measure applies to the People's Liberation Army, the People's Armed Police and employees of the country's public security organs, Xinhua said. In recent years the People's Republic has increasingly moved away from Deng Xiaoping's dictum of "keeping a low profile" in foreign and military affairs. It is expanding the reach of its armed forces far around the world, seeking to build a "blue water" navy capable of operating in distant seas and commissioning its first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in 2012. In November Beijing announced it would build a logistics hub in the African nation of Djibouti to support its units on United Nations and anti-piracy missions in the region. China is a top contributor of peacekeepers to the continent and has helped patrol the waters off the lawless Somali coast. Beijing has long proclaimed its belief in non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs, but two years ago a top public security official said it had considered a drone strike against a drug lord in Myanmar linked to the murders of 13 Chinese sailors. http://news.yahoo.com/china-gives-itself-mount-anti-terror-ops-abroad-165959023.html
