PLA reveals live-fire drill in eastern Tibet mountains as China-India border dispute claims at least 20 lives

Name: PLA conducts live-fire drill in Tibet amid China-India border dispute
Uploaded: 2020-06-17T07:24:40.000Z
Duration: 1 min 31 s
Description: PLA conducts live-fire drill in Tibet amid China-India border dispute

Brigade commander says PLA forces developed combined artillery bombardment with precision sniping and overcoming harsh environment

China’s military exercise took place more than 1,000km from skirmish site, simulated removing enemy’s fortified positions

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

The Chinese army has conducted a live-fire drill in Tibet following a deadly clash on the Himalayan border, Chinese state media revealed. Photo: Weibo

Liu Zhen

Published: 3:24pm, 17 Jun 2020Updated: 8:32pm, 18 Jun 2020

The Chinese army carried out a live-fire drill in Tibet as tensions with India escalated following a deadly clash on the disputed Himalayan border, Chinese state media revealed.

The drill simulated removing the enemy’s fortified positions using a joint operation with a brigade – around 7,000 soldiers – of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Tibet military region on a 4,700m-high plateau.

The exercise involved artillery, missiles, aviation, electronic warfare, engineering and special forces. Tanks and drones were also used in live-fire combat, according to the PLA.

The Chinese report, published late on Tuesday, said the drill was held in “recent days” without being specific about the date.

01:31

PLA conducts live-fire drill in Tibet amid China-India border dispute

The Tibet military region said via its social media account on Tuesday that the brigade was the only heavy mechanised mixed brigade in the region, which underwent a restructuring during the 2017 Doklam standoff with India.