China and United Arab Emirates Air Forces to conduct their first ever joint training

During August, fighter jets from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will head to China to participate in the «Falcon Shield 2023» exercises, the first time that the Air Forces of both nations will conduct joint military exercises.

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The Falcon Shield exercises, aimed at fostering pragmatic exchange, cooperation, understanding and trust between the two Air Forces, will take place in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

While the brief press release from the Chinese Ministry of Defense does not provide details on the number or type of aircraft to be carried by the UAE, or the duration of the training or its characteristics, it is worth noting that the UAE Air Force currently deploys French-made Mirage 2000-9 and US-made F-16 Block 60 fighters, both of which are very advanced models and of great interest to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Especially considering that the Taiwanese Air Force (ROCAF) also has F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighters.

See also: Taiwan wants to extend the life of some of its Mirage 2000-5

New alliances

The Falcon Shield exercises were previously agreed as part of a joint agenda of building closer and deeper strategic relations between China and the UAE.

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China’s rapprochement with Middle Eastern countries is partly a consequence of the US distancing itself from the regional geopolitical scene to focus its efforts on containing China’s expansion in the Pacific.

Relations between the UAE and the U.S. particularly suffered from the Biden Administration’s refusal to allow the export of F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters to the Arab country on condition of the prior removal of the 5G mobile network installed by the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

See also: UAE suspends F-35 negotiations with U.S.

Finally, Abu Dhabi ended up prioritizing its 5G network and its commercial relations with China, while mitigating the F-35 snub by agreeing with France to purchase 80 Rafale F4 fighters. It also signed an agreement with China for the purchase of 12 L-15 advanced trainers, with an option for another 36 aircraft. All of which is a clear indication of the UAE’s realignment of its strategic alliances.