Troops from China's Eastern Theatre Command, facing the Taiwan Strait and Japan, conducted a decontamination drill simulating a nuclear attack response. The exercise focused on enhancing operational readiness in complex battlefield environments. It was reported amid heightened global concerns over nuclear facility strikes.
Troops from the People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees areas including several nuclear power plants and faces the Taiwan Strait and Japan, held a decontamination drill. The exercise concentrated on rapid detection and decontamination in designated contaminated zones to “comprehensively hone the troops’ ability and operational readiness to respond to emergencies in complex battlefield environments”, the report said.
The drill was covered by CCTV. It comes at a time of global concerns that the US and Israel have targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, including a strike last week that landed only 75 metres (246 feet) from the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
The international nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, warned of the risk of “a severe radiological accident” if the operational plant were damaged. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi stressed in a statement that nuclear power plant sites and surrounding areas “should never be struck”.
Meanwhile, tension between China and Japan continues to simmer over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks in November that Japan might militarily intervene in a Taiwan Strait conflict.