China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has kicked off a three-day military exercise on Tuesday, involving ground and air forces on the Chinese side of the country’s border with Myanmar. The drill is aimed to test reconnaissance, early warning, area control, and firepower abilities, as stated by the PLA’s Southern Theatre Command on the command’s official WeChat account. The command added, “The units are always prepared to respond to any sudden situations, ensuring the protection of national sovereignty, border stability, and the safety of people’s lives and property.”
The live-fire drill, which will run until Thursday, was announced on Monday by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the provincial government of Yunnan in southwest China. Yunnan shares a 2,000km (1,240-mile) border with Myanmar. The exercise comes amid escalating fighting on multiple fronts within Myanmar. At the end of July, the military government extended a state of emergency for another six months in an effort to maintain its grip on power.
The drill zones include the city of Ruili, near the townships of Huyu and Wanding; Zhenkang County, near Mengdui township; and the autonomous counties of Gengma Dai and Wa, near Mengding township. It is the PLA’s third live-fire training exercise in Yunnan this year. Two training exercises were held in April when security concerns started to grow over the situation in Myanmar’s northern Shan state, which borders China.
The Chinese army, as stated in the Communist Party mouthpiece PLA Daily in April, will take “all necessary measures” to ensure the safety of its people. Compared to April, the PLA has provided more details on its recent live-fire drill, including the specific areas where the exercises are taking place. The training subjects now also include testing of firepower abilities.
The majority of the unrest in Myanmar has been concentrated in Shan, where a coalition of rebel militias has been leading strikes since October. It challenges the military junta that seized power from the country’s democratically elected government in 2021. A ceasefire deal, mediated by China in January, collapsed in June with the resumption of large-scale fighting after five people in Yunnan were injured by shelling from across the border.
Team BharatShakti (With inputs from Reuters)
