№ 3 — 2018 — 8
УДК 94(510)
Zarodov I. A
THE CHINESE PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY ABROAD: EXPANDING PRESENCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
As foreign zones of economic interests expanded, assets and large investments abroad appeared, the number of Chinese living abroad increased, as well as the scale of political influence broadened, the understanding of national interests’ and national security’s borders underwent gradual changes in the Chinese consciousness. The opinions that it is reasonable to more actively use the armed forces outside its own national borders have been expressed in China. Among the areas of overseas application for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces it is currently possible to identify the following: participation in UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKO), counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, the PLA Navy’s first aircraft carrier, protection of its own citizens abroad and evacuation in the event of serious threats to their lives and security, international military cooperation, overseas military base. The article considers the forms of military presence, its motives and combined potential.
Keywords: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army, PLA, peacekeeping operations, UNPKO, emergency evacuations, counter-piracy patrols, the Gulf of Aden.
