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Chinese military deploys armored vehicles to Europe for the first time as Chinese medics train in Germany
[MilitaryTimes] The Chinese military has deployed military personnel and armored medical vehicles to Germany for joint drills, a first for the Chinese People's Liberation Army as it attempts to forge closer ties with Europe.The joint exercise; Combined Aid 2019; is focused on preparing troops with the medical service units of the Chinese and German armed forces to respond to humanitarian crises, such as mass casualty incidents and serious disease outbreaks, China's Xinhua News Agency reported. The exercise follows a cooperative military medical training exercise in 2016 in Chongqing, where the PLA and the German Bundeswehr practiced responding to an imaginary earthquake scenario. "We've seen China increasing its participation in these kinds of activities. It provides a low risk means to demonstrate its commitment to global governance, which may help reduce anxiety about its growing military capabilities," China watcher Matthew Funaiole, an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told INSIDER. "The PLA in the future will need to go abroad to protect China's overseas interests in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative," he explained. "If there could be some basic mutual trust and understanding with NATO forces, the risk of potential conflict could be greatly mitigated." Jorge Benitez, a NATO expert with the Atlantic Council, told Stars and Stripes that "the presence of the Chinese military in Germany for this exercise creates very bad optics for Germany, NATO and the US and is a cheap propaganda victory for China." Last year, the Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) conducted its first combined exercise with the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) in waters near China's new military base in Djibouti. It marked an unprecedented level of cooperation at that time. Posted by: Woodrow 2019-07-11 |
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