ARTICLE: China plans for the next big disaster, By Peter J Brown, Asia Times Online, May 30, 2009

Also along the lines of China's emulation, check out this bit from an Asia Times article describing China's plans to gear up government capacity to deal with serious, system-perturbing disasters:

As part of a so-called system for Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW), the Military Training and Arms Department of the General Staff Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) also announced in May the formation of five specialized PLA units which will be ready to respond to floods, earthquakes, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, transportation sector-related disasters, and, international peacekeeping and disaster relief activities.

What I like, naturally, is the copying of language on MOOTW.

That's where we were in the 1990s, so to see the PLA slip into similar ambitions is another good sign, because once they get the skills ready for at-home scenarios, then they become deployable for Gap scenarios--and therein comes the ability and desire to administer to the system.

(Thanks: William R. Cumming)