An insider from the Chinese military told the Global Times the locations of the army headquarters of China's newly established five military theater commands, which were identified by their strategic location in east, south, west, north and central China.
The anonymous source added that the five commands will base their army headquarters in Fuzhou, Fujian Province; Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Lanzhou, Gansu Province; Jinan, Shandong Province; and Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province.
The report also cited the source as saying that the joint command center will be located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province; Guangzhou, Guangdong Province; Chengdu, Sichuan Province; Shenyang, Liaoning Province; and Beijing.
The five military theatre commands, also known as the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) battle zone commands, have replaced the former seven military area commands in Beijing, Nanjing, Chengdu, Ji'nan, Shenyang, Lanzhou and Guangzhou.
The source said that infrastructure, including communication facilities in the previous seven military area commands, were taken into consideration in the locations of the headquarters, to enable follow-up work on military reform to start as soon as possible.
The report said that under the new setup, the Central Military Commission (CMC) will have top supervision and enable the theater commands to deploy forces in the region in combat, while each branch of the military will focus on training their respective troops.
The new system also splits and differentiates the combat and construction or logistic missions. The source said that the theater commands will focus on engagement, while the PLA army, navy and air force will focus on training their respective forces.
The report said that the five commands are expected to have their own army and air force, while naval forces will not be mobilized by all five commands.
According to the source, a temporary command system would not be needed in case war erupts, as the joint operations of each theater command will suffice, which is also helpful for troops to fulfill their training and mission.
The source added that the five commands will only deploy their own force against security threats, and report only to the CMC for additional support.