Doklam area

NEW DELHI: China's People's Liberation Army's (PLA) conducted military exercises in an unknown location to "strike awe in India", said the state-backed Global Times on Monday, citing a China Central Television report and another Chinese newspaper report from late last week.

Global Times made sure to mention that the drills were conducted "amid tensions in Doklam " to "lay the ground for plateau warfare".

More than 10 PLA units from the 'western theater command' participated in the drills. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is closest to India, is where the 'western theater command' is most prominent. The units included aviation and armoured forces, said the TV report.

China Central Television is the official mouthpiece of China's Communist Party. Global Times is run by the People's Daily, also a mouthpiece of the same party.

The TV station reportedly aired a five-minute-long video that showed tanks firing at targets on hills and helicopters firing missiles at ground targets.

In the first week of August, China Central Television broadcast video it said showed an army unit in an unidentified part of Tibet carrying out live-fire firing exercises, reported the Associated Press (AP). Troops were shown loading and firing other missiles, some of which landed in fiery explosions. The report, which was also carried in other state media, didn't mention the dispute with India and said the unit has been training for three months, said AP.

Similar drills were conducted in July in Tibet. The brigade that conducted the drills was from the PLA's Tibet Military Command and is one of China's two plateau mountain brigades, Global Times reported at the time. A video posted online showed soldiers using anti-tank grenades and missiles against bunkers and howitzers for artillery coverage, reported PTI. The video also showed radar units identifying enemy aircraft and soldiers using anti-aircraft artillery to destroy targets.

PLA troops violated the border into Doklam in Bhutan on June 16 when they began construction of a road in violation of a 2012 agreement. Indian troops stopped the road construction.

China claimed that they were constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau. New Delhi has expressed concern over the road building, apprehending that it may allow Chinese troops to cut India's access to its northeastern states.



In Video: China's army conducts military exercises 'to strike awe in India'