The closing meeting of the 31st session of the 13th NPC Standing Committee on October 23 voted to adopt
a new Land Borders Law. The new law empowers the state to: Use the police apparatus and weapons for
illegal border crossers under certain circumstances; close China’s borders if war or armed conflict threatens
border security; and build border facilities “for the purposes of blockade, transportation, communication,
monitoring, deterrence, defence, and assistance”. The law also makes the People’s Liberation Army
responsible for “Guarding the land border, resisting armed aggression, [and] dealing with major
emergencies, and terrorist activities.” (Comment: China has 14 international land borders, and shares that statistic with Russia. The full text
(translated from Chinese) reads: during the period of deepening the reform of the national defence
mobilization system , Temporarily adjust and apply the "National Defence Mobilization Law of the People's
Republic of China", "People's Air Defence Law of the People's Republic of China", "National Defence
Traffic Law of the People's Republic of China", and "National Defence Education Law of the People's
Republic of China" related to national defence mobilization and the people's armed mobilization and
economic mobilization , Civil air defence, traffic readiness, national defence education leadership and
management system, military and local functional configuration, work organization settings, and national
defence mobilization resources command and use regulations. The specific measures shall be implemented
in accordance with the relevant decisions of the Party Central Committee and the relevant regulations of
the State Council and the Central Military Commission. After the reform measures have matured, relevant
laws should be revised and improved in a timely manner.)
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