A planeload of Chinese troops for the anti-terrorism drills of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) arrived near the drill site on Friday,
completing the transfer of Chinese troops and armaments for the exercise.
The last trainload of Chinese servicemen arrived earlier in the day at the
Misyash railway station near the Ural Mountains city of Chelyabinsk and will
soon head to the Chebarkul drill site 75 km away, where Chinese and Russian air
squadrons will conduct a joint exercise on Monday.
Setting out on July 20 from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous
region, over 300 Chinese servicemen traveled over 10,000 kilometers in 15 days
and transported more than 500 tons of military hardware.
The exercises, dubbed "Peace Mission 2007" and scheduled to run on Aug. 9-17,
will be carried out first in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang region, and
later move to Chelyabinsk.
The six member countries of the SCO -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- will all send troops for the drills.
About 6,500 troops and 80 aircraft are expected to take part in the drills,
including 2,000 troops and 36 aircraft from Russia, 1,600 troops and 46 aircraft
from China.
The exercise will help strengthen relations between the militaries of SCO
members and enhance cooperation in defense and security, said Guo Boxiong, vice
chairman of China's Central Military Commission.
The six SCO member countries held their first joint anti-terrorism military
drills in 2003. China and Russia conducted a joint military exercise in 2005.
