Airfields under the control of a Chinese military theater command that would likely oversee any Taiwan invasion campaign can be used by aircraft from different service branches, according to a report. This gives military pilots more flexibility in the event of any future conflict.

Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for further comment by email.

Why It Matters

China has long viewed Taiwan, which is a self-ruled island and a security partner of the United States, as part of its own territory despite the Chinese Communist Party never having governed it. Beijing has stated that it “reserves all options” against the island, refusing to renounce the use of force.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command likely executes operational control over military matters related to Taiwan, including contingencies in and around the Taiwan Strait, the Pentagon‘s annual report on Chinese military power noted.

What To Know

The PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military, reported on Tuesday that the Eastern Theater Command has built what it called “joint training domains,” allowing the aviation forces of its army, navy and air force to routinely share airfields for training.

“Dozens of military airfields within the [Eastern] theater command are open to units of all service branches,” the report said, adding that “hundreds of training grounds” of the theater command have also achieved what it called “information sharing and open co-utilization.”

Military pilots have more flexibility in selecting takeoff and landing locations within the airspace of the Eastern Theater Command, which has jurisdiction over China’s eastern provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian and Jiangxi, as well as the city of Shanghai.

During a recent joint exercise, aircraft from the army, navy and air force received “coordination orders,” which saw them take off, land and receive maintenance at the same airfield. The report did not reveal the airfield’s location.

The report also claimed that at an undisclosed air force base, approximately 70 percent of its personnel can perform maintenance on different types of aircraft, while over 10 types of its equipment are now capable of supporting more types of aircraft after “customization.”

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping explained to the state-run Global Times that by sharing airfields, which would likely be under attack in the first days of any war, different service branches can utilize others’ airfields in case their own are damaged or unusable.

What People Are Saying

The PLA Daily quoted a Chinese military pilot as saying: “Since the implementation of the joint sharing mechanism for combat training resources, the spatial distances and institutional barriers between the various military services have gradually diminished. The contribution rate of these combat training resources to combat preparedness has been continuously increasing.”

A Chinese military observer, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, told Newsweek: “This is more common in the [Eastern Theater Command] and [Southern Theater Command] because they have more bases located along the coast, and these areas are usually densely populated, so it can happen that [People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force] share airfields with the [People’s Liberation Army Air Force].”

What Happens Next

The Chinese military is likely to expand the concept of sharing airfields to other theater commands. This comes as a think tank has recommended the U.S. should improve its ability to strike Chinese forces in order to protect its airfields located in the Western Pacific Ocean.