China-India border dispute: armed parachute drills by elite PLA forces point to military build-up
- CCTV reports over 300 Chinese troops conducted a jump over the Tibetan Plateau
- Drawing on elite forces from various units for high-altitude airdrops suggests China is preparing for potential conflict, analyst says
According to a report on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday, a special operations brigade from the Tibet Military Area Command and an army aviation brigade jointly organised the first parachute training “in an unfamiliar area which is over 4,000 metres above sea level recently”.
Without disclosing the date or location of the training, CCTV said that so far more than 300 officers and soldiers of the special operations brigade had successfully carried out their first jump on the Tibetan plateau and the training would expand to more than 1,000 troops to “lay a good foundation” for armed parachuting and multi-parachute training in high-altitude areas.
CCTV said the training was to “improve the three-dimensional assault capabilities” of the officers and soldiers on the plateau and enhance the “overall combat capabilities of the troops stationed in Tibet”.
On an official social media account of the PLA’s Central Theatre Command, a Xian Y-20 airlifter was shown at an unnamed airfield – thought to be in the Tibet autonomous region – along with at least three Xian H-6 bombers.