China, UAE set for joint air force training in military first, as Beijing forges closer Middle East ties

‘Falcon Shield 2023’ joint exercises to take place in Xinjiang in August, Chinese defence ministry says
Brief statement on Monday does not mention size of Emirati contingent, the duration or scope of the drills

China’s military

Jack Lau

Published: 5:17pm, 31 Jul, 2023

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The air forces of China and the United Arab Emirates will train together for the first time next month, according to the Chinese defence ministry.

The “Falcon Shield 2023” exercises will take place in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the ministry said in a brief statement on Monday.

China has focused on forging closer economic and military ties with countries in the Middle East, such as the UAE, as part of its post-pandemic diplomatic outreach.

Although the United States still maintains a much larger footprint in the region, China’s anti-piracy operations, building of commercial ports and growing arms sales are proof of its intention to play a bigger role in regional geopolitics beyond energy trade.

At the first China-Arab States summit in December – where Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech – the 21 members of the Arab League and Beijing agreed to more cooperation between their militaries, including on international peacekeeping, maritime security, and combined exercises and training.

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“This is the first combined air force training between China and the UAE,” Monday’s defence ministry statement said. “It aims to deepen pragmatic exchange and cooperation between the two militaries and to promote mutual understanding and trust.”

It did not mention the size of the UAE contingent, the duration or scope of the training.

Xinjiang has hosted combined military exercises before. In 2016, the infantries of China and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation bloc trained in its mountainous area of Korla.

The following year, China trained in Xinjiang with Pakistan’s air force, including exercises to improve combat logistics, night coordination and defence against electromagnetic interference.

The UAE, a traditional US ally, has taken part in many military drills with American forces, including the annual Iron Union exercise, the latest edition of which took place in May.

The Emirati military also uses many US weapons and equipment, such as the Thaad anti-missile system and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.

The main China-made arms used by the UAE are combat drones such as the Wing Loong 1 and the Wing Loong 2. These are made by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, an aerospace firm indirectly owned by the Chinese government.

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In 2017, the UAE also bought Blue Arrow 7 anti-tank missiles from China for use on its Wing Loong 2 fleet, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The UAE army had been planning to buy CR500 Golden Eagle helicopter drones made by Norinco, a Chinese state-owned defence contractor, a report on the Breaking Defence news website said in 2021, citing an unnamed official at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex) – a biennial event held in Emirati capital Abu Dhabi.

At Idex 2023 in February, the UAE signed up to buy several L-15 advanced training jets from China.