China orders military to end all paid outside work

[webfact]

China orders military to end all paid outside work

BEIJING (AP) — China has ordered its armed forces to end all paid outside work within the next three years as part of a push to make the world's largest standing military more professional and battle ready.

A Defense Ministry notice viewed Monday said both the regular army and the paramilitary People's Armed Police would be covered under the ban. It identified no specific fields but is thought to mainly target military art troupes, publishing houses and hospitals that accept paying civilian patients.

The ban is a "major political task concerning the overall scope of military construction and development," the notice said, emphasizing the need for officers and troops to adhere to the guidance of the ruling Communist Party headed by President Xi Jinping, who also leads the party and government commissions that control the armed forces.

The 2.3 million-member People's Liberation Army was ordered more than a decade ago to divest itself from its vast business empire that included factories and transport firms and was viewed as fueling corruption and slack discipline.

The latest round of reforms have reorganized parts of the command structure and will reduce troop numbers by 300,000, mainly by culling non-combat units and those using outdated equipment.

The reforms are also seeing a shift away from the land forces, which now account for about 73 percent of total troop strength, and more toward the navy and air force that are seen as responsible for dealing with the main perceived threats to China's interests — a conflict over control of the South China Sea and a move by self-governing Taiwan toward formal independence that China has threatened to respond to with force.

After decades of large annual increases, the defense budget is also growing at a smaller pace in line with lower growth in the overall Chinese economy.

Military spending will rise 7.6 percent this year, despite tensions with China's neighbors over disputed portions of the South China Sea. The military budget of 954 billion yuan ($146.5 billion) keeps China in second place in global defense spending behind the United States.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-03-28

[SOTIRIOS]

...oh-oh......

[user82374298374]

Yeah, I'm sure they'll get right on that.

[chilli42]

I think the bigger picture here is that the Pres is reigning in the military ... more specifically he is cleaning out all of the lads that thought they were running things that went beyond even the military and replacing them with people loyal to him that will focus on the job of running the military under direction of the Pres. Mainly he is using anti corruption purges to accomplish this. This is just one more tug on the same string. Of course if they don't comply it gives him one more reason to get rid of those he wants out.

Deng took a different approach but similarly neutered the military big boys who had the idea they were running the country.

Have to give it to the Chinese, their politicians play the long game. Most of ours are money hungry, bought buffoons.

[sanukjim]

I think the bigger picture here is that the Pres is reigning in the military ... more specifically he is cleaning out all of the lads that thought they were running things that went beyond even the military and replacing them with people loyal to him that will focus on the job of running the military under direction of the Pres. Mainly he is using anti corruption purges to accomplish this. This is just one more tug on the same string. Of course if they don't comply it gives him one more reason to get rid of those he wants out.

Deng took a different approach but similarly neutered the military big boys who had the idea they were running the country.

Have to give it to the Chinese, their politicians play the long game. Most of ours are money hungry, bought buffoons.

a good analyses Chilli 42, I think that you would be interested in some of the articles of Loydhouse's (spelling) weekly " ILook China" email.

Edited March 28, 2016 by sanukjim

[meinanzi]

It may have an untoward effect on China's already overcrowded hospitals. When I lived there I often went to the PRC Military and General Hospital in Wuhan. Now they will probably have to refuse civilian patients, who formed the majority of their clientele.

[Publicus]

It may have an untoward effect on China's already overcrowded hospitals. When I lived there I often went to the PRC Military and General Hospital in Wuhan. Now they will probably have to refuse civilian patients, who formed the majority of their clientele.

Interesting in several ways so hope replying to some selected questions for information purposes to the reader might be okay.

One, what did you pay for at the PRC Wuhan military and general hospital and what did you not pay for?

If you went several times for a specific reason, did you see the same doctor(s) each time, or did you get a different doctor from among a group of doctors of the specialty, or of the general field of medicine?

Did even one doctor (or staff) in the whole of the hospital speak English? Any little bit of English (besides the super easy 'bye-bye' which so many Chinese know, love the sound of and to say)?

Were Western manufactured medicines available or only CCP manufactured copies versions on offer? Or both? How were prices? (My own experience is the CCP copied stuff is both super cheap and does the trick.)

Long waits?

It's also the case most PRC hospitals are open Saturday mornings only on the weekends. Outpatient clinics take the usual noon to 2 pm lunch (to snooze), to include all personnel of the CCP armed forces.

Yes, even the whole of the CCP military observe the 12 p.m to 2:30 p.m lunch and nap that CCP strictly imposes on the society from top to bottom. Eight hours sleep each night or else. (Anything less and sleeping in on weekends is a wicked Western decadence not allowed in China! )

CCP Chinese don't get their seven days a week noon to 2:30 pm lunch and nap they get awfully fatigued and cranky, to include the whole of the CCP military. (CCP goes to war, we can beat 'em during lunchtime the first day .)

[meinanzi]

Publicus,

1)The cost of medical services was dirt cheap. I paid about $2.00 for a doctor visit. But the best value was for an MRI that cost me only $110 USD.

2) Sometimes i would ask to see a specific asthma doctor and could do that if she were available that day.

3) Most of the doctors spoke little or no English. Usually i would go with a bilingual Chinese friend until I got a basic understanding of the language.

4) Western medicines were available and prescribed and purchased at the hospital pharmacy. Sometimes they would also prescribe traditional Chinese medicines when they wanted to pad the bill because doctors get commissions on prescribed medicines. They might give me TCM medicine to strengthen the immune system, for example. Usually I gave these to my Chinese friend.

5) The waits were often long and they did break for a siesta in the middle of the day. The offices closed down during nap period.