China increases military drills, night exercises in Xinjiang Military district

New Delhi, Sep 21: The Chinese People's Liberation Army has been enhancing military exercises, including night drills in the Xinjiang Military district reports said.

The South China Morning Post reported that the PLA's Western Theatre Command, responsible for the entire border with India has introduced more night drills for units that are stationed near the Himalayan border.

Several forces in the region have been carrying out night battle drills, the report also said. Quoting a company commander, the report said that the PLA has revised schedules and demanded soldiers meet high standards for high altitude training. The reason is that the PLA needs to deal with a harsher battlefield environment amidst increasing challenges in the peripheral areas.

The report also said that the PLA's new Type PHL-11 truck mounted self-propelled 122 mm multiple system rocket launchers had been deployed in the area. They were being used for precision drills, the report also said.