
A Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) strategy delegation held military and security talks in France and Germany from October 21 to 28 to discuss bilateral relations and regional security issues.
AI-generated summary
The Chinese delegation conducted separate talks with French and German officials regarding military relations and security concerns.
A PLA strategy consultation delegation visited France and Germany from October 21 to 28 for the talks, according to a statement released by China’s defence ministry on Wednesday.
The Chinese delegation engaged in in-depth exchanges of views with the two countries separately on bilateral and military-to-military relations, the international and regional security situation, and other issues of common concern, it said.

Ukrainian drones launched large-scale air strikes on Russia’s Lipetsk and Tula regions from late night on the 27th to early morning on the 28th. The Novolipetsk Steel Plant and the Novomovsk Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant were hit and caused fires. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted a total of 531 drones in multiple states.

The Integrated Staff Supervision Department of the Ministry of Defense of Japan announced that on the 27th, it was confirmed that a Chinese coast guard ship and three Chinese naval vessels passed through the Osumi Strait off the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture and sailed towards the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time Japan has announced to the public a case in which a Chinese Coast Guard ship accompanied a naval vessel through the straits surrounding Japan.

Senior observer Lin Heli pointed out that Xi Jinping's large-scale purges of the Communist Army have resulted in a sharp reduction in the number of generals, coupled with insufficient equipment, the People's Liberation Army currently does not have the conditions to launch a war against Taiwan. In addition, the anti-corruption campaign in the military may have united opposition forces within the party and the military, posing a potential threat to Xi Jinping.

After it was reported that a compulsory soldier in the 206th Brigade of the Army was stolen by a fellow soldier, he reported to the cadres that he was made difficult, beaten and illegally grounded. Reserve colonel Ma Yixiang pointed out that the actions of relevant cadres may violate the criminal laws of the army, navy and air force, calling on the Ministry of National Defense to conduct a thorough investigation and emphasizing that internal reviews must not replace legal responsibilities.

A new US Defence Intelligence Agency report features a satellite image of China's secretive spaceplane, warning that Beijing may deploy space-based directed-energy weapons by the late 2020s to track and potentially target American forces.

China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs held a press conference on the 28th, announcing that it had successfully confirmed the identities of eight Chinese People's Volunteer Army martyrs in South Korea this year through DNA identification and other technical means. So far, a total of 44 martyrs have been found relatives.