Chinese paratrooper killed in Qinghai exercise as Beijing acknowledges casualties
Beijing has confirmed that a 23-year-old paratrooper died in a training accident in northwestern China, a revelation that follows recent reports of several accidents and deaths in its military. State media said on Sunday that Xia Shiyuan, of Huaiyuan county in Anhui province, was involved in an incident shortly after leaving an airborne aircraft during a scheduled training exercise in Golmud,…
Beijing has officially acknowledged the death of a 23-year-old Chinese paratrooper during a training exercise in Qinghai province. Xia Shiyuan, originally from Huaiyuan county in Anhui province, lost his life shortly after exiting an aircraft during a routine training operation in Golmud on May 27. He was rushed to a hospital, but succumbed to his injuries at 12:32pm. Xia, who joined the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2021, was honored as a martyr and posthumously received a third-class merit citation.
This incident marks one of two parachute-related accidents involving PLA personnel in quick succession. On May 28, an air force officer named Wang Rui saved a fellow soldier during a separate parachute training exercise when their parachutes became entangled mid-air. For his actions, Wang was also awarded a third-class merit citation. However, the specific cause of Xia's death and Wang's act of heroism remains undisclosed by the PLA.
In recent years, China has been ramping up the intensity of its military training, aiming to modernize its armed forces and prepare troops for the demands of contemporary warfare. President Xi Jinping emphasized the need for "strengthening basic training and conducting intensive practices in difficult and key areas" during his inspection of the Airborne Corps in 2024.
This push for enhanced training comes amid a growing trend of revealing military accidents and fatalities, which were previously met with limited or delayed public acknowledgment in China.
In June, two pilots, including a high-ranking tactical commander, lost their lives during frontline flight training exercises. Fang Ming, a 38-year-old senior colonel serving as a tactical commander under the PLA Southern Theatre Command Naval Aviation unit, and Shi Shaoyong, a 25-year-old first lieutenant from the Southern Theatre Command Navy, were both recognized as martyrs in public records. The identities of the two individuals who died on the same aircraft or mission remain unclear.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
