China amends law to protect military facilities  

中国拟修法明确军地军事设施保护协调机制

A draft legal amendment to improve the security of military facilities was tabled for its second reading by China's top legislature on Monday.

The bill, which expands the definition of military facilities to include temporary facilities for carrying out military missions, was submitted to the bi-monthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Sun Baoshu, vice chairman of the NPC's Law Committee, said at the session that the draft amendment has included inputs from the first reading.

The bill asks local governments at county level and above to build coordination mechanisms to jointly protect military facilities. In addition, it calls for the protection of military facilities to be considered alongside the concerns of economic and social development.

Military facilities should meet the requirements of urban planning, and they should be assessed for safety and environmental impact, according to the bill.

The latest draft amendment also tightens security for military radios, saying that legal punishments will be applied to those who deliberately interfere with military radio facilities, or make harmful interference with such facilities and refuse to make rectifications as related departments require.

Those who destroy walls, barbed wire, boundary markers or other military facilities, will likewise be punished in accordance with law, if the bill is passed.