Live-fire show of force by troops from China’s first overseas military base
Armed forces send message of combat readiness to Djibouti militants and other potential attackers, observers say
Troops from China’s only overseas base have staged their first live-fire drills in what military analysts said was a major show of combat readiness.
The exercises in Djibouti on Friday involved dozens of officers and took place at the country’s national gendarmerie training range, the People’s Liberation Army Navy said in an online report.
Troops arrived at the base – China’s first overseas garrison – less than two months ago and the drill was meant to test the personnel’s capacity to handle a range of weapons and tasks in extreme heat, humidity and salinity, the report said.
Temperatures in the African nation routinely rise above 40 degrees Celsius at this time of year.
“This is the first time our soldiers stationed in Djibouti have left the camp to conduct combat training,” base commander Liang Yang was quoted as saying.
“The live-fire training will help explore a new training model for the [Chinese] overseas garrison.”
Footage aired by state-run CCTV showed PLA marine corps using various weapons – from pistols to automatic rifles, sniper rifles and machine guns – to fire at targets.
