Ready, aim … China’s military tipped to keep ramping up combat drills after 18,000 exercises in 2018
- Armed forces expected to get up to speed for series of landmark anniversaries following a year in which 2 million people took part in war games
- Moves come as tensions rise, particularly with the US, which has labelled China a strategic rival and expanded its trade war into technology and security
The Chinese military is expected to ramp up training in 2019, a year of rising geopolitical challenges and several key anniversaries for the People’s Liberation Army.
Observers said growing tensions with the United States, and landmark commemorations including October’s 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic had pushed the PLA to expand drills.
The assessment came after Xinhua reported last week that about 2 million personnel were involved in more than 18,000 mostly small-scale exercises in 2018.
The report did not offer a comparison for 2017 but state media reported earlier that the PLA conducted roughly 100 larger-scale exercises in 2016.
On Tuesday, the military’s mouthpiece, PLA Daily, reported that regiments all over the country had started a series of combat exercises after Chinese President Xi Jinping issued his first commands of the year last week.