Photo: Bundeswehr via Military Times
Taking an army from China to Europe is a task so daunting that it has never been tried, not even in times of war. That changed last week as for the first time ever the flag of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was seen waving on European soil.
The Chinese are in Europe to take part in an exercise called Combined Aid 2019. The drill is meant for army medics and will take place in Germany, in the town of Feldkirchen in Upper Bavaria. According to Stripes.com, the Chinese have deployed quite a squad there.
The Asian army detachment comprises around 100 medics and an undisclosed number of armored medical vehicles.
Joint drills between the military of a Western power and the PLA are rare in general, but such an exercise at the heart of Europe itself is unheard of.
The training exercise is not meant to simulate a battle scenario, but the response of the PLA and the German Bundeswehr in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes.
“The participating teams will practice joint command and control and will learn to cooperate in treating and managing mass casualties in large-scale disease outbreaks,” China’s defense ministry said in a statement.
But this is not how the average Chinese see it.
Chinese publication South China Morning Post cites a retired PLA colonel by the name of Yue Gang as saying that this is one way his country can protect its “overseas interests in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative” and help mitigate the risk of “potential conflict“ with NATO forces.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Yue Gang is mentioning is a Chinese strategy meant to revive the ancient Silk Road. Known until recently as One Belt One Road (OBOR), this strategy calls for China to link up its infrastructure with 152 countries and organizations on all continents.
The Asian army detachment comprises around 100 medics and an undisclosed number of armored medical vehicles.
Joint drills between the military of a Western power and the PLA are rare in general, but such an exercise at the heart of Europe itself is unheard of.
The training exercise is not meant to simulate a battle scenario, but the response of the PLA and the German Bundeswehr in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes.
“The participating teams will practice joint command and control and will learn to cooperate in treating and managing mass casualties in large-scale disease outbreaks,” China’s defense ministry said in a statement.
But this is not how the average Chinese see it.
Chinese publication South China Morning Post cites a retired PLA colonel by the name of Yue Gang as saying that this is one way his country can protect its “overseas interests in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative” and help mitigate the risk of “potential conflict“ with NATO forces.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Yue Gang is mentioning is a Chinese strategy meant to revive the ancient Silk Road. Known until recently as One Belt One Road (OBOR), this strategy calls for China to link up its infrastructure with 152 countries and organizations on all continents.
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