China’s People’s Liberation Army has conducted a military exercise in which a drone was used to deliver camouflage cases containing gold bars and bundles of cash, in what state media described as a “wartime financial support” drill that appeared to simulate an operation involving Taiwan.
A multi-rotor drone dropped the cases at designated locations during the exercise conducted by the PLA Eastern Theatre Command, according to a report published last week by the national newspaper Defence Times. The report, which prompted heated discussion online, has since been deleted.
Photographs released with the report showed soldiers wearing tactical camouflage gear in a field and counting bundles of NT$1,000 and US$100 notes alongside gold bars. One of the cases displayed the PLA emblem and was marked “Settlement Office No 4, Nanjing Centralised Funds Receipt and Payment Management Centre”.
The report did not specify where or when the exercise took place. It was also unclear whether the cash and gold used in the drill were genuine. The use of a drone to transport the cases nevertheless highlighted how the PLA could envisage financial support being delivered to troops operating in circumstances where conventional banking and electronic payment systems were unavailable.
During wartime, cash and other forms of physical payment could be required for a range of purposes, including purchasing supplies and services, providing compensation for collateral damage, intelligence-related expenses or other transactions that could not be conducted through normal financial systems.
The inclusion of Taiwanese currency was particularly notable. While US dollars and gold are widely accepted forms of payment internationally, the presence of NT$1,000 notes suggested that the exercise was designed with the possibility of troops needing to conduct transactions with local populations during an operation on the island.
The drill therefore appeared to extend beyond conventional battlefield logistics by considering how financial transactions might be handled during military operations. The drone delivery of the cases also indicated an effort to account for circumstances in which supplies or financial resources might need to reach personnel at designated locations without relying on conventional transport.
Beijing regards self-governed Taiwan as part of China and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but oppose any forcible change to the status quo. Washington is also committed to supplying Taiwan with weapons for its defence.
Against that backdrop, the appearance of Taiwanese currency in a PLA exercise has attracted particular attention because of what it may indicate about preparations for operations involving the island. The exercise itself, however, was presented in the report as a financial-support drill, and the available details did not establish that it represented a specific operational plan.
The PLA Eastern Theatre Command, headquartered in Nanjing in Jiangsu province, has responsibility for security and military operations involving Taiwan and the East China Sea. Its role makes exercises conducted under its command particularly relevant to preparations involving the Taiwan Strait.
The deleted Defence Times report offered little information about the exercise beyond the photographs and description of the drone-delivered cases. Nevertheless, the combination of gold, US dollars and Taiwanese currency provided a rare glimpse into the practical financial considerations the PLA may be preparing for in a wartime environment, particularly where normal banking and electronic payment systems could become inaccessible.
