CHINA-PLA EXERCISES: TENSION IN NORTH KOREA
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China Central Television (CCTV-7) 30-minute programme, 'Military Reports', yesterday revealed footage of the country's various missiles in a daily military programme. 0ne of the weapons featured in the programme was the anti-ship DF-21 missile, which has a firing distance of up to 1,926 miles (3,100km) and has been dubbed 'the killer of aircraft carrier'. It showed Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles drive past the Tiananmen Gate during a military parade on September 3, 2015 in Beijing. In the first report, CCTV-7 aired footage from a series of 'large scale' and 'intensive' mock battles carried out by People's Liberation Army recently. The exact location of the battles was not revealed, but it was reported to be deep in the Tianshan Mountains in western China. The programme featured several drills carried out by the PLA Rocket Force, which handles the country's growing missile arsenal. The footage showed soldiers firing tanks and launching multiple missiles simultaneously. A female news anchor, who was dressed in a military uniform, said that the Chinese army had been focusing on mock battles in the past year. She said: 'Officers and men spent all their thoughts and energy on battling and how to win battles' adding that 'Soldiers improve through drilling while an army improve through fighting.' A brigade commander, named Ding Wei, told a CCTV reporter that these battles were 'large-scale, intensive and effective in examining military power'. In the April 13 programme on CCTV-7, the reporter introduced a meteorological expert working for the PLA Rocket Force, named Zhu Lishi. Meanwhile, footage of deadly missiles were used to help demonstrate Zhu Lishi''s job. Zhu Lishi, used his meteorological knowledge to predict weather in order to ensure the accuracy of missile tests, Zhu Lishi, who served the Chinese army for 41 years, said he once helped the Rocket Force to successfully complete a test despite challenging adverse weather conditions. He said he was able to predict the movement of the clouds precisely and 'we managed to launch the missile into the gap of three clouds'. Another'Military Reports', broadcast on April 6, revealed footage of a DF-10 missile being fired during a drill, according to China's guancha.cn. The programmed introduced An Shuangbin, a technician from the PLA Rocket Force whose 'superb skills' in operating missiles have apparently become the inspiration for the whole team. DF-10 is the best performing long-range cruise missile in the world, according to Sina.com. Sina also said the 990-pound (450kg) beast could strike a maximum distance of 1,242 miles (2,000km) and could reach Japan and Taiwan if it's fired from inland China. According to Chinese news website QQ.com, the missiles in the report are all DF-21 missiles. The QQ report said: 'The camera shows that the warehouse is filled with DF-21 missiles. Rows of DF-21 missiles were big, and when they were lifted, they showed absolute power.' China Central Television Station's missile coverage appeared at a sensitive time. In the past week, military tensions have been ramping up between US and North Korea, which borders China, over a nuclear test Kim Jong-un might carry out. It was reported on April 10 that the Chinese army had deployed 150,000 troops to the North Korean border to prepare for pre-emptive attacks. However, China's National Ministry of Defense denied the allegations during a press conference yesterday, calling them 'a total fabrication'. |