Rise of the Reds Update #65: The Eyes of the Dragon news

During its deployment to Germany in the midst of the GLA insurrection of 2028, one of the most glaring weaknesses of the People's Army became apparent: The GLA's widespread use of explosive traps and tunnel tactics took a heavy toll on the Chinese infantry and tank formations as they were not sufficiently equipped to spot hidden threats before it was too late. This inability to combat a cunning guerilla adversary culminated in the wholesale destruction Coburg, a town in northern Bavaria whose history dated back to the 11th century. The occupation of the city held little strategic benefit, but it gave birth to an infamous, award-winning press photo that depicted a group of burly GLA warriors erecting a crude scimitar-shaped victory monument in front of the historical timber-frame houses, which many regarded as an omen for the immediate collapse of Western civilisation. The Chinese forces soon subverted this insulting display of power, bombarded the city with Inferno Cannons and raised the Red Flag above its charred ruins. After the war, the PLA went out of its way to develop better tools for IED detection and counter-guerilla operations. The Forward Recon Kit was regarded as the most promising and cost-effective project. It provides the ever-reliable Troop Crawler with a large dish capable of scanning far into unknown territory with a powerful, highly concentrated probing beam. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with reactive armour to protect the passenger compartment from attacks, increasing the overall survivability of the Crawler in a hostile environment. Due to the added weight and power consumption, the Forward Recon Kit cannot be mounted alongside the external loudspeakers though.

When a new generation of political leaders assumed control over the Chinese government in the wake of the 2018 Taiwan Conflict, one of the many pillars of the much acclaimed Modern Way programme was an increased cooperation with China's northern neighbour Mongolia. The ancient steppe nation was rich with minerals and would prove to be a useful partner in the ongoing effort to contain the expansion of the Gobi Desert. Over the course of many years, the friendship and interconnection between Beijing and Ulaanbaatar grew, eventually resulting in the latter's peaceful integration into China's Inner Mongolia as part of the GAPA agreement of 2031. While still regarded as an annexation by international law, the Autonomous Region of Greater Mongolia was granted a very large margin of independence with respect to its ancestral heritage and benefited from the export capacities and the military protection of the People's Republic. As a trade-off, China now shared an extensive border with the Russian Federation, a former strategic partner who had turned into an audacious competitor under the leadership of Nikolai Suvorov, who snubbed the Party government with his claim that Russia would rather return to global prominence of its own accord and independently. As a result, increased border security and surveillance became a necessity. The Chinese air force subsequently acquired an entire fleet of planes that were equipped with sophisticated radar systems, high-resolution cameras and electronic missile jammers. Upon construction of an Airfield, all Chinese commanders will be able to requisition one of these espionage planes, which will then perform several recon runs over a large area.

SWR team, signing out.