Chinese Paramilitary and Army Units Share Training Grounds in Guangdong

A People's Armed Police detachment facing severe land shortages in Guangdong province has partnered with a nearby People's Liberation Army unit to share training facilities. According to state-run military media, the initiative began after municipal zoning reclaims eliminated the detachment's leased firing range. The two forces devised a collaborative management model categorized by dedicated, staggered, and idle time slots. This physical co-location has subsequently evolved from separate side-by-side routines into mutual skill exchanges and joint tactical exercises involving coordinated command networks and combined-arms units.

This case highlights how grassroots Chinese military and internal security elements resolve acute local land constraints through institutional sharing. By dismantling organizational silos between the People's Armed Police and the PLA Army, frontline commanders are optimizing redundant infrastructure while turning logistical compromises into integrated joint tactical training.

A People's Armed Police (PAP) unit stationed in southern China has instituted a cross-service resource-sharing mechanism with a local ground force detachment, overcoming local land restrictions to facilitate combined training exercises. According to reports published by the PLA Daily and People's Daily, the Qingyuan Detachment of the PAP Guangdong Contingent faced prolonged training ground deficits due to tight municipal land allocations. Previously, the detachment leased unused government land for a firing range, but municipal development priorities and lease expiration forced the return of the plot, leaving the detachment without sufficient training grounds. To resolve the deficit, the detachment surveyed local defense infrastructure and discovered that a neighboring PLA Army unit maintained extensive training facilities that regularly sat idle during seasonal field deployments. The two units subsequently brokered a joint mechanism described as 'built by one, used by many, and jointly maintained.' To manage schedules and prevent scheduling collisions, the army unit classified its grounds into three functional categories: dedicated army zones, staggered-use shared zones, and standby idle zones. The PAP detachment aligned its training schedule through joint coordination conferences, submitting targeted training plans around the army's operational calendar. While initial activities were conducted independently in designated sections of the facility, practical interactions between personnel spurred closer collaboration. According to accounts detailed by detachment cadre, technical critiques regarding trench fortification and camouflage led to reciprocal instructional sessions. A PAP detachment bayonet combat instructor was invited to instruct army companies, while an army squad leader provided masterclasses on terrain concealment. This basic peer instruction expanded into joint tactical maneuvers. The PAP mobile unit and a PLA combined-arms battalion recently held a joint, realistic training exercise that extended late into the night. Operating under unified command protocols, the units engaged in counter-terror operations, obstacle neutralization, and rear-area infiltration, testing tactical coordination, fire coordination, and mine placement under combined-arms conditions.