Qu Tianci, a member of a special operations brigade affiliated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) 82nd Group Army, participates in the Peace Unity-2024 joint military exercise in Tanzania in early August, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Kong Xiangrui

The ongoing land phase of the China-Tanzania Peace Unity-2024 joint exercise commenced a joint tactical training on Thursday, a counter-terrorism drill that mixes the participating troops from the two sides together that heavily relies on trust, said a Chinese special operations team member.

Qu Tianci, a member of a special operations brigade affiliated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) 82nd Group Army, told the Global Times ahead of the tactical training session that the drill will see his unit conduct multiple missions including maritime reconnaissance, infiltration, sniper hunt and kill as well as hostage rescue tasks.

Against the background of a joint counter-terrorism operation, Chinese and Tanzanian troops will take part in training courses including infiltration, reconnaissance, flanking, encompassing, elimination, stealth assault and rescue, as well as multidimensional pursuit, in a move to hone their interoperability in realistic combat scenarios.

The troops from both countries needed to resolve issues such as differences in combat concepts, tactical applications, as well as a language barrier. According to Qu, this was a complicated task, but no one complained. Everyone communicated with each other with enthusiasm. "In the first all-element, whole-process joint tactical training that was held previously, our units could already coordinate pretty well," he said.

"The trust and tacit understanding between the Chinese and Tanzanian militaries are a part of combat capabilities, as trust is the best binder between the two forces that can effectively enhance our interoperability and professional skills," Qu said.

The Peace Unity-2024 joint exercise provided a chance for the Chinese and Tanzanian troops to interact more, with more people and more fields involved, further verifying and enhancing their capabilities through practice.

"Both sides value this exercise very much," Qu said, noting that the Tanzanian troops are very enthusiastic and eager to learn, including learning the Chinese language, new Chinese equipment and new military concepts.

The PLA can also learn from the Tanzanian troops, who have experiences in participating in peacekeeping missions throughout Africa. Their practical application of equipment and tactics are worth learning from, Qu said.

The Peace Unity-2024 joint exercise was launched on July 29 at the comprehensive training center in Mapinga, Tanzania, and its land phase is scheduled to conclude on Sunday.

A highlight of the exercise is that the PLA conducted a multidimensional cross-border transport operation to send troops to Africa ahead of the drill. It also marked the PLA's first deployment of Y-20 strategic transport aircraft to send whole units to Africa for an exercise.

It was Qu's longest flight on a Y-20, but when he arrived, he felt the importance of being able to quickly arrive at a destination.

"Although the flight took more than 10 hours, I felt great on the Y-20. It flew smoothly and the cabin's noise reduction, the comfort of the chair and the temperature control were all satisfactory. The Y-20 took off and landed well with little turbulence," Qu said, stressing that this comfort can allow the troops to save energy and enter combat immediately upon arrival.

This is particularly important in special operations, Qu said.

Yang Danpu contributed to this story