(TibetanReview.net, Sep25’20) – Even as it continues military and diplomatic talks in ostensible move to de-escalate the prolonged Ladakh border faceoff with India, China has on Sep 24 spoken of having conducted several round-the-clock live-fire training exercises in occupied Tibet.
The PLA Tibet Military Command recently held live ammunition exercises day and night to test its adaptability and firepower of the troops in ultra-high altitudes, China’s party mouthpiece the globaltimes.cn Sep 24 cited a ministry spokesperson as saying.
The report said a video on China Central Television’s (CCTV) military program on Sep 23 showed a combined arms brigade attached to the PLA 77th Group Army practicing firing in a 4,500 meter-high snow-covered plateau.
It said that on Sep 21, another CCTV military program showed the PLA Tibet Military Command conducting joint land and air exercises at night in a 4,500 meter-high plateau. Each reconnaissance unit was reported to have carried out multi-dimensional reconnaissance on the target area using electromagnetic reconnaissance, close-in reconnaissance and others, which allowed the commander to adjust combat plans and allocated firepower at the target.
Infantry squads were reported to have used 120mm anti-tank rockets, individual rockets, and flamethrowers to destroy armored targets and fortified bunkers.
The PLA Tibet Military Command was also reported to have conducted battlefield clearance, medical aid and logistical support exercises.
In yet another drill last week, at a training site at an altitude of 4,500 meters, the command mobilized air defense and long-range artillery fire for nighttime integrated strike drills, the report said.
The reported noted that the drills took place amid ongoing China-India border tensions.
The report cited Chinese observers as saying they were cautiously optimistic about the latest development on border issues between China and India, as they believed the latest military talks had sent a positive signal. But the two sides remain divided on many concrete issues, and continue to prepare for possible military conflicts with logistical and troop build-ups, the report added.
