China Launches First Military Exercise of the New Year, Mobilizing Robots, Drones, and Missiles

Amid Ongoing China-Japan Tensions
Annual Drills Proceed as Scheduled
Joint Exercises Involving Army, Navy, and Air Force

CCTV Capture.

Amid ongoing tensions between China and Japan, following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks suggesting possible intervention in the event of a Taiwan contingency, the Chinese military launched its first military exercise of the new year on January 4 (local time). This exercise mobilized China's latest weapons and equipment, including robots, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), stealth fighter jets, and hypersonic missiles.

Chinese media outlets such as China Central Television (CCTV) and the Global Times reported that the entire Chinese military-including the Rocket Force, Army, Navy, Air Force, logistics support units, and armed police-officially began this year's annual training on the first workday after the New Year's holiday.

The Rocket Force conducted simulated missile launches under extreme conditions, rapidly deploying weapons and equipment to training sites in response to emergency mobilization. CCTV footage showed the hypersonic missile Dongfeng-17 (DF-17), which can target the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait, and Northeast Asia, being positioned on a transporter erector launcher (TEL).

The Dongfeng-17, with a range of 2,500 kilometers, travels at ten times the speed of sound and can adjust its trajectory mid-flight. It is regarded as a means to neutralize interception systems such as the U.S. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) deployed in South Korea and Japan's SM-3.

This exercise also saw the deployment of numerous new weapons, including robots, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), J-20 stealth fighter jets, and Type 055 destroyers. A brigade from the Army's 79th Group Army used drones and quadrupedal walking robots in training exercises to seize enemy positions.

The Navy's destroyer fleet held a mobilization meeting for the new year's training, and the Type 055 destroyer Nanchang and Type 052D destroyer Xining departed from Qingdao Port in Shandong Province for their first live-fire drills of the year.

For the Air Force, multiple J-20 fighter jets participated in the exercise, and the Air Force included nighttime aerial refueling and long-distance sustained flight as part of its new regular training program.

Although the Chinese military designates the first workday of each year as the start of its nationwide training, this year's exercises drew greater attention amid heightened tensions due to China-Japan conflicts and the United States' pursuit of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's arrest.