US, Australian military staff tour China’s Beijing garrison despite freeze on top brass talks
- The embassy attaches are among dozens to take part in the first visit since the pandemic
- Event signals willingness in China for exchanges with Western forces, observers say
Military attaches from the United States and Australia were among the dozens invited to tour the People’s Liberation Army’s garrison in Beijing on Thursday, the first event of its kind since the pandemic.
Observers said the invitation from the PLA Ground Force indicated China’s willingness to have regular military exchanges with Western forces.
More than 50 military attaches and officers from 43 embassies took part in the tour, the ground force said on its WeChat social media account on Sunday.
Troops put on demonstrations of boxing, firearms drills and antiterror training, and showed the visitors around the officers’ dormitory.
The ground force said the tour was the first it had organised for foreign counterparts since the Covid-19 pandemic, and signalled China’s efforts to promote mutual understanding, deepen mutual trust and forge friendship with other countries under its goal of “peaceful development”.