Live ammunition used in PLA Tibet night drill
The People's Liberation Army staged its first night drill with live ammunition on the Tibetan plateau last month, a move analysts believe serves as a warning to India over a long-running border dispute.
A report yesterday by China Military Online, a website sponsored by the PLA Daily, included photographs from the drill, conducted by a regiment based in Chengdu, Sichuan. 'It is the first time for the air force to stage a night-time drill with live ammunition in a high-altitude area and launch attacks against authentic targets of different natures,' the report said.
It added that the drill was held at 5am 3,500 metres above sea level, with regiment member Wu Tiancheng making his first strike 3,800 metres above sea level.
The report said aviation, radar and signal troops took part in the drill, and seven new aircraft had launched attacks in remote areas, covering distances of several hundred kilometres. Shanghai-based military analyst Ni Lexiong said the drill was targeted against India.
'India has taken several moves that Beijing believes are provocative in recent months. Beijing wants to make some response to that,' he said. 'Both countries will not make concessions over border disputes.'
Sino-Indian ties have often been plagued by border disputes. Former Indian army chief General Ved Prakash Malik said last week that his country must increase its vigilance in Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims and calls South Tibet.
Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony visited the region on February 20, saying border security was a topmost priority.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei later urged India to work peacefully with China to maintain stability along their border, and called on New Delhi to refrain from taking action that could complicate border issues.
China and India have held 15 rounds of talks over the territorial disputes, but little substantial progress has been made.
