China begins new decade with military drill along Tibet border
DHARAMSALA, 6 Dec: The Chinese communist regime has started the new decade with a major military exercise by deploying latest weapons including the Type 15 tank and the new 155-millimetre vehicle-mounted howitzer in Tibet bordering India as it began its first round of exercises in 2020.
During the new year exercises, the PLA Tibet Military Command has deployed helicopters, armoured vehicles, heavy artillery and anti-aircraft missiles across the region: from Lhasa, capital of Tibet, with an elevation of 3,700 meters to border defence frontlines with elevations of more than 4,000 meters, the Chinese state-run media, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
The tank and the howitzer were reportedly unveiled to the general public during the military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on 1 Oct last year.
“Their deployment in the Tibet Military Command will enhance PLA combat capability in plateau regions,” Weihutang, a column on military affairs affiliated with CCTV was quoted as saying in the report.
Besides China’s claim of Arunachal Pradesh, a northeastern state of India as part of South Tibet, India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC) covers 3,488 kilometres, including the border along Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
Meanwhile, India’s new Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane has said that India “must hold back on China border issue till Tibet is settled” as he took charge of the office earlier last week.
