China's armed forces will on Tuesday launch a military exercise
codenamed "North Sword 2005" in a training base in north China's Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region.
About 40 military officers from 24 countries have been invited
to observe the exercise at the Zhurihe training base, a tactical
drill base in Inner Mongolia.
The exercise, which involves some 16,000 People's Liberation
Army (PLA) officers and soldiers, is the biggest in terms of number
of invited observers since the founding of the People's Republic of
China in 1949.
China has participated in multilateral military exercises to
broaden security cooperation with other countries since 2000.
These include:
-- November 2002, China
The PLA invited United States military personnel to view the
"attack and strike" exercise by a motorized infantry brigade of the
Nanjing Military Command.
-- October 10 to 11, 2002, China-Kyrgyzstan
The PLA and the armed forces of Kyrgyzstan held a joint
anti-terror military exercise on their border. It was the first
time China held a military maneuver with foreign military forces
and also the first bilateral anti-terror exercise conducted by
members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
-- August 6 to 12, 2003, SCO member nations
Armed forces from five SCO member countries including China,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan took part in a joint
anti-terror exercise codenamed "Coalition 2003". It was the first
exercise of its kind within the framework of the SCO and also the
first time China participated in multi-country joint military
maneuvers.
-- August 25, 2003, China
China, for the first time, invited 27 foreign military observers
from 15 countries to observe military maneuvers at its largest
tactical drill base in Inner Mongolia, aiming to introduce the
capabilities of the Chinese armed forces to the world and
strengthen cooperation with foreign armed forces.
-- October 22, 2003, China-Pakistan
Chinese and Pakistani naval forces conducted a joint search and
rescue exercise off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea. It
was the first time the Chinese navy held a joint exercise with a
foreign counterpart since the founding of the People's Republic of
China.
-- November 14, 2003, China-India
Chinese and Indian naval forces conducted a joint search and
rescue exercise off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea, a
first for both countries.
-- March 16, 2004, China-France
The Chinese navy held its first-ever maritime drill with its
French counterpart, off the coast of east China's Qingdao city.
-- June 20, 2004, China-Britain
Chinese and British navies conducted joint maritime exercises
for the first time, off the coast of East China's Qingdao city.
-- August 6, 2004, China-Pakistan
The PLA and the Armed Forces of Pakistan held an anti-terrorism
exercise at Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, in northwest China's
Uygur Autonomous Region, bordering Pakistan.
-- August 28, 2004, China-India
Chinese and Indian frontier troops held a joint mountaineering
training exercise, the first of its kind between the two armed
forces, in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
-- September 2, 2004, China
Some 50 servicemen from China and abroad observed an amphibian
landing exercise in Shanwei in south China's Guangdong Province.
The group consisted of military observers from France, Germany,
Britain and Mexico.
-- September 25, 2004, China
About 60 military officers from 16 countries observed a practice
with live ammunition codenamed "Iron Fist 2004" at the Queshan
Training Base in central China's Henan Province.
-- October 2004, China-Australia
Chinese and Australian navies held joint maritime exercises off
the coast of East China's Yellow Sea.
-- August 18-25,
2005, China-Russia
China and Russia held their first joint military exercises,
codenamed Peace Mission 2005. The one-week long maneuvers, which
involved 10,000 troops from the two countries, started in
Vladivostok in Russia's Far East and later moved to east China's
Shandong Peninsula.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2005)