The CCP-owned Global Times (June 9) publicised the conduct of military manoeuvres by the PLA. It said PLA paratroopers held intensive tactical drills and mock battles in June. It quoted the PLA Daily of June 9 reporting that a PLA airborne brigade held the exercises deep in the northwestern desert on June 1, in which a mechanised infantry battalion integrated multiple forces including armoured vehicles, artilleries, engineering troops and scouts in a real-combat scenario. It said the drills honed the troops' capabilities in command and control, rapid assaults and fire strikes.  The PLA Daily quoted an officer at the brigade as saying "Paratroopers have strong assault capabilities, fast manoeuvring speed and wide combat areas, making them an 'iron fist' in joint operations against the enemy. Exercising the 'iron fist' will give us a better chance at winning on the battlefield." A Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times (June 9) that the manoeuvre was only the first step, and the actual drills that closely followed should be the real test of troops' fighting ability.  CCTV also telecast  on June 6, pictures of a PLA Air Force airborne brigade of thousands of paratroopers on recent manoeuvres from Central China's Hubei Province to an undisclosed location in the plateaus of northwestern China in just a few hours. The PLA Daily did not specify if the airborne brigade in the latest report is the same one as in the CCTV report. Other military exercises were also reported. Global Times said some military observers have connected these events to the ongoing border situation between China and India. It said 'After positive talks between the two countries' senior military officers, experts said the dispute will not escalate into a conflict or another Doklam standoff, but the military standoff could continue for "a little longer before concrete resolutions to the issues such as the trigger of the recent tension along the border, India's construction of infrastructure on Chinese territory."  It reported that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at the regular press conference on June 8, that China-India border situation is generally stable and controllable, and both sides are willing and capable of resolving related issues through negotiations and talks. 

(Comment: China's position is indicated in the statement "concrete resolutions to the issues such as the trigger of the recent tension along the border, India's construction of infrastructure on Chinese territory".)