China's 'non-war military operations program': MOOTW by another name?

On 13 June 2022, Xinhua reported that Xi Jinping had approved an order to issue the 'Military Non-War Military Action Plan (for Trial Implementation)' for the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Although light on detail, the report noted that the 'action plan' contained 6 chapters and 59 articles and was 'of great significance to the effective performance of the military's missions and tasks in the new era'. This has caused a flurry of speculation by foreign media and commentators that the 'action plan' is evidence that Beijing is preparing the ground for a Putin-like 'special military operation' – such as a maritime blockade or worse - against Taiwan.

This edition of The Looking Glass explores the validity of some of these claims. The authors find that assertions that China is copying the Russian playbook fail to acknowledge both that the PLA has had a focus on 'Military Operations Other Than War' (MOOTW) since the 2000s, and how such functions are integrated into the PLA's core mission. With respect to the implications for Taiwan, it is suggested that the new 'Military Non-War Military Action Plan' will likely have limited applications for Chinese coercion of Taiwan.

Authors