PLA recruitment video features air force stand-off with Japan
Chinese fighters shown warning Japanese plane away from the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea
A cartoon to highlight the promotion of senior cadres, a rap song about the five-year plan – China’s government is no longer confined by the same old propaganda tactics when it tries to influence the young.
In the latest example, it has used video of a sensitive military operation near disputed islands to recruit young talent to the world’s largest standing armed forces.
The recruitment video for the PLA’s naval air force shows aircraft on patrol enforcing the nation’s air defence identification zone.
It was set up in 2013 and drew opposition from the Japan, the United States and South Korea.
The zone covers areas around the disputed Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, which are also claimed by Japan.
Part of the five-minute video shows Chinese fighter jets spotting and dealing with a Japanese plane near the Diaoyu islands.
A Chinese pilot is shown giving a warning in Chinese, English and Japanese :”This is China Naval Aviation Force on guard. Attention! You are about to violate Chinese air territory. Take a reverse course immediately.”
The footage then shows a squad of Chinese fighters in formation, before finally seeing the Japanese plane off. It is not clear when the operation took place.
Chinese and Japanese aircraft did have a controversial encounter over the zone on June 17 last year.
A spokesman for the Defence Ministry in Beijing, Yang Yujun, said the use of video and multimedia was now usual practice to encourage the young to devote themselves to defending the country.
