PLA holds high altitude exercise as China-India border tensions continue
- The recent drill in Tibet included drones and explosives to put troops to test in extreme, complicated situations
- Exercise follows border clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers in the Himalayas
China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday that a PLA scout unit had in recent days mobilised towards a target in the Tanggula Mountains at an altitude of 4,700 metres (15,420 feet) using night vision devices on their vehicles to avoid drone surveillance from the “enemy side”.
The Chinese troops had sent drones and dropped explosives when they saw blocks set up by the enemy, the report said. Ma Qian, a commander of the scout battalion, was quoted as saying more than 2,000 munitions, including rifle grenades and rockets, were fired during the drill. He said the drills tested troops’ ability to operate in extreme, complicated situations and to use new equipment.
Soldiers from both sides were wounded in the clash involving fist fights and stone-throwing at the important mountain pass near Tibet, the Indian Army said last month. Global Times, a Chinese tabloid affiliated with party mouthpiece People’s Daily, said China would take countermeasures and that the Indian Army had obstructed Chinese troops’ normal patrols and tried to change the status quo in the border area.
Neither country has protested over the clashes and Beijing has said the situation is under control, but observers said Beijing was on high alert over Indian activity in Aksai Chin because of its proximity to Xinjiang and Tibet.