China, Russia to conduct joint anti-terror military exercise

Source: Xinhua  |   2009-7-8  |     ONLINE EDITION

CHINESE and Russian armed forces will conduct a joint anti-terror military exercise beginning July 22, military sources said today.

The exercise, code-named "Peace Mission-2009", will be carried out in Russia's Far East area and northeast China's Shenyang Military Command, according to the two countries' defense authorities. It will last five days.

Chiefs of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will hold strategic talks in Russia's Khabarovsk on July 22, said Hu Changming, spokesman with Defense Ministry.

The two armed forces will send 1,300 personnel from each army and air force services to participate in the exercise, the spokesman said.

China, Russia and other member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organization previously held two similar anti-terrorism exercises under the name "Peace Mission" in 2005 and 2007.

The exercise is not targeted at any particular third party but will showcase the abilities and resolutions of both sides to jointly cope with various kinds of security threats and crack down on terrorist, separatist and extremist forces, the spokesman said.