Wednesday 15 June 2022 05:04 PM Is China gearing up for Putin-style 'special operation' invasion of Taiwan? trends now
China could be taking a leaf out of Russia's playbook by trialling a new directive which would expand the use of its burgeoning military for 'non-war' purposes, paving the way for a potential invasion of Taiwan under the misnomer of a 'special military operation'.
The directive, which comes into effect on Wednesday, could provide Beijing with the cover it needs to launch an assault on its renegade neighbour without the legal complications or international condemnation that comes with declaring war.
Xinhua news agency said the document will provide 'the legal basis for troops to carry out military operations other than war', such as peacekeeping operations, disaster relief and humanitarian efforts.
The directive has not been published in full but it aims to maintain 'national sovereignty ... regional stability and regulating the organisation and implementation of non-war military operations'.
Russia invaded its neighbour Ukraine - a relationship with eerie parallels to the one between China and Taiwan - under the pretext of a 'special military operation' that fell short of a declared war. It is punishable by 15 years in jail in Russia to call the invasion a war.
But just as Ukraine has proven to be a very prickly porcupine against the Russian bear, Taiwan has warned China that it has the capacity to hit back in retaliation for any hostile military intervention in the Taiwan Strait.
Chinese Premier Xi Jinping has signed a directive that permits 'the legal basis for troops to carry out military operations other than war', such as peacekeeping operations, disaster relief and humanitarian efforts, but could be used as a cover for an invasion of Taiwan
Taiwan has warned that its domestically produced Yun Feng supersonic cruise missile (pictured) can reach Beijing
The China-Solomon Islands security pact could see Chinese military ships dock on Australia's doorstep (pictured: The guided-missile frigate Nantong of the escort taskforce leaves a military port in Zhoushan, China in May)
A carrier-based J-15 fighter jet takes off from the Chinese Navy's Liaoning aircraft-carrier during open-sea combat training
The narrow waterway that separates Taiwan and mainland China is a perennial flashpoint, with Beijing often reacting angrily to passages by foreign warships
You Si Kun, president of the Legislative Assembly, said that its domestically produced Yun Feng supersonic cruise missile can reach Beijing. The threat came in response to claims the Taiwan Strait is not international waters.
The Communist nation has been asserting 'sovereignty' and 'jurisdiction' over the international waters of the Taiwan Strait, as well as taking another big step towards building a military base on the Solomon Islands, a country less than 2000km from Australia's coast.
Australian Policy Institute senior analyst Malcolm Davis warned the expansion to the Solomon Islands was China's next step in asserting its presence in the Pacific.
The combination of moves once again seems to set the Asian behemoth of 1.4 billion people on a collision course with the US and its allies in the region and across the world.
You outlined Taiwanese plans to develop a more self-sufficient military to prepare for a potential conflict with its superpower neighbour who increasingly seems to have brazen designs on conquest of the island.
He compared Taiwan to Ukraine in its defiant will to defend its sovereignty, and insisted they should prepare for what could be an inevitable invasion.
The military directive 'has political implication toward Taiwan,' said Wu Qiang, a
