Lintong, Shaanxi Province, China: Was it a charm offensive, or a show of force by the largest army in the world?

In a rare move to allow access to foreign journalists to tour a military base, the People's Liberation Army showed off its anti-aircraft brigade in Lintong, about an hour's drive east of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, ahead of the important August 1 anniversary recognised as the army's founding in 1929.

The brigade's soldiers performed manoeuvring drills with anti-aircraft artillery, and stayed on afterwards to allow journalists to mingle freely and ask questions.

Defence Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said the event was not another recent show of military muscle, but was more about showing the army was trying to become more transparent.