Many of China's military airports are facing safety problems caused by the construction of high-rise buildings nearby, with many facilities being forced to relocate or close certain flight routes, the official newspaper of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) reported recently.
According to an article published in the PLA Daily Wednesday, "many military airports were built in the 1960s or the 1970s, their location at that time was far from towns but due to the fast urbanization and economic development of the country, these airports are now surrounded by high-rise buildings and many other manmade obstructions."
This has seriously impacted flight safety and the PLA Air Force's training missions, and air clearance is important for maintaining the military airports' combat capability and efficiency, said the article.
The article listed a few examples. In 2003, a military airport in Central China had to move due to the growth of the nearby town, and has recently had to move again due to further urban growth. Another airport in Northwest China has been forced to close many of its air routes due to illegal high-rise building construction.
Apart from the high-rise buildings, other problems including domesticated birds, balloons, kites and drones are also making military airports less safe, which has even caused fatal accidents, the commentary said.
Other military installations face similar problems. The Global Times reporter found the Dalian shipyard, at which China's first home-grown aircraft carrier and most advanced destroyer are being built, is also surrounded by high-rise buildings from which one can get a clear view of what is going on inside the shipyard.
An anonymous agent at the local security agency told the Global Times that this is a big challenge when they conduct anti-spy missions.
"This requires the management and control of military and civilian authorities to be integrated. The non-military sectors like local governments and other law-enforcement departments should be responsible for the space around the military airports. New legislation is needed and the current law-enforcement and the education among the people also need to be improved," said the PLA Daily article.
