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The “Channel One Operater” unit is an all-women military group that transfers calls between leaders through a system of red desk phones. Photo: Handout

The military unit that connects China’s secret ‘red phone’ calls

PLA group that runs communication for leadership must memorise 3,000 numbers, know who’s calling by their voice alone and understand all Chinese dialects, state media reports

It’s 57 years old, operates out of western Beijing and connects the biggest players at the highest echelons of power in China.

It’s the “Channel One Operator” unit, an all-women military group that transfers calls between leaders through a system of red desk phones.
Chinese President Xi Jinping with the “red phone” system. Photo: Handout

Shedding rare light on the top-secret web of communications, military mouthpiece PLA Daily revealed on Thursday that the unit was under the direct command of the Central Military Commission’s Joint Staff Department, the hub for the overhauled armed forces.

The red phones are status symbols in Chinese politics, linking officials from the deputy provincial level upwards. They have no dial pads and to make a call, a user simply picks up a handset, names the person they want to speak to and a member of the unit puts the call through.

In an age of mobile digital communication, the system is a holdover from the days of late leader Mao Zedong.
The 24-hour operation is based in Jingxi, an area west of Beijing and home to top-level security military meeting venues, PLA Daily reports. Photo: Handout

According to PLA Daily, the system is also used to direct military orders between the armed forces’ top brass and other senior officials. Two of the phones appeared on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s desk when he gave his televised New Year address on state-run CCTV in 2014.

People’s Daily reported in 2015 that one of Xi’s red phones was just for making confidential military calls, while the other one was an encrypted line for more general use.

To ensure swift connections, each of the unit’s operators must memorise more than 3,000 phone numbers and be able to recognise the voices of the top leaders, ­according to previous reports by state media.

The operators must also be able to understand all Chinese dialects and type at a speed of 150 Chinese characters per minute.

PLA Daily reported that the 24-hour operation was based in Jingxi, an area in the west of Beijing with a number of top-level security military meeting venues ­including the Jingxi Hotel.

Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming said it was “not common for a military unit like this to have its work nature ­revealed officially”.

“This could be acknowledgement of the unit’s commitment and contribution to the military service,” Zhou said.

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