BEIJING -- China and Tajikistan
will hold their first military exercises from September 22 to 23, according to a
memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries last April.
The military exercises will target at cracking down on international
terrorism, confronting crisis, and strengthening capability to handle new
challenges and threat.
The military exercises, with the code of "cooperation-2006", will not target
at any third party.
The China-Tajikistan military exercise is one of several joint military
exercises taking place in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization, whose members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The first joint military exercise that China carried out as part of the SCO
framework was with Kyrgyzstan in October 2002.
In August 2005, China and Russia launched a high-profile 8-day military
exercise in Vladivostok, Russia. The exercise, code-named "Peace Mission 2005,"
involved nearly 10,000 troops from the armies, navies and air forces of the two
sides, as well as airborne units, marine corps and logistics units.
China and the other SCO members have also carried out military drills
involving several countries. In August 2003, all the SCO members except for
Uzbekistan carried out their first-ever joint anti-terror exercise. The first
phase took place in Kazakhstan and the second in China.
The SCO was established in 2001 to combat terrorism. At the Shanghai Summit
held in Shanghai this June, the SCO leaders further strengthened the
organization's ability to fight terrorism.
The SCO should become an effective mechanism for member countries to tackle
new challenges and threats and safeguard international and regional security,
according to a joint communique signed by the SCO defense ministers in April.
They also agreed to stage a joint anti-terror military exercise in 2007 in
Russia. An expert group will be set up to coordinate the preparation and
implementation of the joint war game.
Anti-terrorism drill was also held between the SCO law enforcement bodies.
China and Kazakhstan finished the first phase of a joint anti-terror drill
between the law enforcement bodies and special forces this August.
Besides the military exercise with other SCO members, Chinese military also
held other forms of exercise with foreign countries. Chinese naval forces
conducted the joint search and rescue exercise with Pakistan, India and
Thailand.
China is becoming an important force to safeguard the peace and security in
the region and the world as a whole, said Feng.
