China-UAE agrees to hold drills in East Turkistan

The Falcon Shield-2023 joint training exercise between the Chinese and United Arab Emirates air forces will be held in East Turkistan next month, according to the annual plan and the agreement of the two countries.

China's Defense Ministry announced that China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hold joint air force training exercises in August in East Turkistan, a so-called "Xinjiang" region inhabited by Uyghur Turks.

While the fact that the exercise will be held in East Turkistan is noteworthy, it is a matter of curiosity whether the US weapons in the UAE's equipment will cause Washington to comment that "it creates weaknesses".

This will be the first joint training between both air forces aimed at "deepening the pragmatic exchange and cooperation and developing mutual understanding and so-called trust" between the two militaries.

The statement issued by the Presidency did not specify the size of the UAE soldiers who will participate in the training, the duration and scope of the exercise.

EXERCISES WITH THE U.S.
The UAE, an ally of the United States, has conducted numerous military exercises with U.S. forces, including the annual Iron Corps exercise, the most recent of which took place in May.

Moreover, the UAE military is equipped with various American weapons and equipment, such as the THAAD missile defense system and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.

CHINA AND UAE'S DEFENCE RELATIONS
On the other hand, the UAE's primary weapons manufactured in China include unmanned combat aerial vehicles such as the Wing Loong 1 and Wing Loong 2, which are indirectly manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, a company owned by the Chinese government.

In 2017, the UAE also purchased Blue Arrow 7 anti-tank missiles from China for use in its Wing Loong 2 fleet.

During the IDEX 2023 exhibition, where defense weapons were on display, the United Arab Emirates also signed agreements to purchase several advanced L-15 trainer aircraft from China.