First joint drill with Russia launched
By Sun Shangwu and Wu Zhiyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-08-19 05:47

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia: China and Russia launched their first-ever military exercise here yesterday, as the two sides' chiefs of general staff insisted the drill is "not targeted at any third country."

Liang Guanglie, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, with his Russian counterpart Yuri Baluyevsky as they hold strategic consultations. [newsphoto]

The eight-day military drill, code named Peace Mission 2005, started after Liang Guanglie, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and his Russian counterpart Yuri Baluyevsky held strategic consultations at the Vladivostok headquarters of Russia's Pacific Fleet.

The war game is to be held in three stages and the first stage officially began with staff officers carrying out drill planning at the order of the chiefs of the general staff.

The second and third-stages of the drill will be conducted in East China's Shandong Peninsula and its nearby waters in the following days.

The military manoeuvre is to involve nearly 10,000 servicemen, including 1,800 from Russia, and is scheduled to end on August 25.

Troops include land forces, the navy, air force, airborne troops, marine corps, and logistic units.

Liang said the exercise will allow the two armies to practice their co-ordination abilities in combating "international terrorism, extremism and separatism" as well as in coping with "new challenges and threats."

"This exercise does not target, concern the interests of, or pose a threat to any third country," said Liang.

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