The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is said to have deployed around 10,000 troops from the Western Military District Command to conduct live-fire drills in Tibet, which borders India.
The exercise will helps Chinese soldiers gain more experience in operating at high altitudes of 4,500 meters on the Tibetan plateau. China’s Ministry of National Defense on August 27 stated about the exercise:
In such a situation, it is a clear indication that the Chinese army is practicing fighting in high altitude areas.
“The exercise, a live-fire exercise at all times, in all regions, in all elements, continuously involves the participation of combined weapons units, in order to increase the strength of the army, its combat ability in high-altitude areas, including synergistic operations, precision strike, effective destruction, and comprehensive logistical support.”
Logistics, including the use of high-speed trains to transport military hardware, was at the heart of the preparations, which was especially important considering the region’s remoteness from other parts. of China.
The country has more high-speed rail lines than the rest of the world combined, which, together with the expansion of the network in Tibet, offers a very useful potential militarily.
The Chinese Defense Ministry said that more than 10 brigades and regiment combat units included in the PLA Tibet Military Command have checked the weapons’ overall operational and effectiveness. The Tibet Military Command of the Chinese Army has the responsibility of protecting the border with India. The PLA said in a statement that the maneuver was an all-time, all-domain, all-factor, round-the-clock live-fire exercise.
In this, the practice of attacking the enemy was done by combining all the weapons of the PLA together. The Chinese army also told that during this time the preparations for the deployment of army and weapons in the mountainous areas were also investigated. In this operation, the preparedness of accurate attack, effective impact on the enemy and self-supporting logistics were also checked.
China had reported a few days ago that it has deployed its troops using high-speed trains from Lhasa to Ningchi, about 17 km from the Arunachal border. In such a situation, the challenges for India have increased from Arunachal Pradesh to Ladakh. China has been rapidly increasing the construction infrastructure in the border areas of Bhutan for some time now.
The exercise comes 14 months after overt conflicts on the Sino-Indian border left more both side casualties, and both Delhi and Beijing have deployed advanced assets to the area.
Notable among the new armaments of the Indian side is the Su-30mki, Rafale, Mig-29. Apache attack helicopter, Chinook transport helicopter including T-72 tank, while China has deployed Type 99 tanks and other variety of fighter aircraft and rocket launcher.
The event, which followed the June exercises with China’s J-16 and J-11 fighter jets in Tibet, was also widely interpreted as a warning to Delhi.