The Chinese military has simulated battles near Mexico and Cuba during a wargaming exercise – a rare insight revealed in a report on state television. Cuba, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, along with the Sea of Okhotsk and Taiwan, were among the locations of conflict scenarios visible on screens in a CCTV report on Friday showing People’s Liberation Army wargaming exercises. Despite closer economic ties with countries in the region, China has a minimal military presence in Latin America. But the fact that the PLA is modelling potential conflicts there suggests a shift in the Chinese military’s global ambitions. One screen in the report showed red and blue opposing unit “indicators” – represented by aircraft and ships – manoeuvring near the coasts of Cuba and Mexico. Some of the blue side congregated near Houston, Texas, and headed southeast into the Gulf of Mexico, while the red side was seen in the Caribbean Sea. In a typical PLA drill, the red side usually represents the Chinese military while the blue side is the enemy.

During the CCTV report, a close-up focused on Cuba showed the lines of trajectory of aircraft and ships in the region in what was likely a simulation of a tactical operation. Chinese researchers were seen pointing to the screen and discussing the situation. The footage was recorded at a PLA wargaming event held in Xuchang, Henan province, which was attended by 20 units from across the military and its academies. Dozens of simulation systems were demonstrated – all of them developed in China. The report did not provide further information about any of the conflict scenarios. In another map seen in the report, the red side was shown clustered near Russia’s far eastern coast while blue indicators were positioned over Hokkaido in Japan and the disputed Kuril Islands.

Taiwan also featured at the centre of a map in one of the wargaming systems shown in the report. Beijing sees the self-governed island as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not see Taiwan as an independent state, but many oppose any forcible change to the status quo. Washington is also committed to supplying Taiwan with weapons for its defence. With tensions rising in the region in recent years, the PLA has held frequent exercises around Taiwan and also conducted joint training with Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. The Chinese and Russian air forces held a joint patrol earlier this month, with two Russian Tu-95 bombers flying across the Sea of Japan to join two Chinese H-6 bombers over the East China Sea. That came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enraged Beijing by suggesting last month that Japan could intervene militarily in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

The CCTV report also showed the PLA simulating an air battle between Chinese J-16 fighters and French-made Rafale fighter jets. Details of PLA war games are rarely revealed – they are usually highly classified. According to the CCTV report, the wargaming event aimed to “help commanders learn how to fight without engaging in actual combat by creating a low-cost, immersive and repeatable adversarial environment”. It said the PLA’s wargaming systems covered land, sea, air, space and electromagnetic domains, with integrated cutting-edge technologies such as AI-powered models, big data analytics and real-time simulation engines.