The PLA at Home and Abroad - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

elements from two Mechanized Infantry Divisions in
the Xinjiang MD, an airborne mechanized infantry
company, an SOF company, and elements of two Army
Aviation Regiments, one from Lanzhou MR (Xinjiang
MD, 16 transport helicopters, probably Mi-17 series)
and the other from Beijing MR (16 WZ-9 helicopters). 34
According to the 2008 White Paper, “this was the
first time for the PLA to participate in a major land-air
joint exercise outside the Chinese territory.” 35 Defense
Minister Liang Guanglie described the anti-terrorist
exercise as follows:
After the exercises began, adopting such methods as
railroad and air transport and flight transitions, we organized
and implemented - for the first time in our army’s
history-large-scale, organizational-system-based
[involving full-scale original army units: corps, brigades,
etc.], transnational long-distance maneuvers involving
different services and arms, and carrying heavy
weapons and equipment. The practice improved our
military’s strategic transportation and campaign maneuvering
capabilities. In Chelyabinsk, we and other
SCO member state armed forces trained jointly in such
combat operation patterns as firepower assaults, special
assaults, aerial landings under attack, and airborne attacks.
36
Based on media reports, the largest single PLA unit
to deploy was probably a reinforced infantry battalion.
Significantly, “before leaving for Russia, Chinese soldiers
underwent about 60 days of intensive training in
the Gobi desert in Xinjiang.” 37 Chinese reports noted
positive aspects of the exercise, such as “the first time
Chinese Army Aviation helicopters have transported
foreign soldiers in an exercise. And the two sides had
only trained together twice prior to this joint airlanding.”
38 On the other hand, some Russian reports were
considerably more condescending:
393