China's military diplomacy created a number of "firsts" in the year 2003, attracting attention worldwide.  

For the first time in history, the Chinese armed forces joined in multilateral military exercises, conducted joint military exercises with Pakistan and India, and invited foreign military observers to watch live Chinese military maneuvers.

Zhang Bangdong, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defense, said China's military diplomacy was more cooperative with the international community to fight terrorism and to safeguard national security, due to the rising threats in non-traditional security fields.

Ouyang Wei, a strategic expert from the National Defense University, said the series of military maneuvers reflected a step forward by the Chinese armed forces to implement new security concepts featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation.

In 2002, China set the principle of gradual participation in multilateral military exercises to broaden its security cooperation with other countries. This principle was also put into practice this year by the frequent joint military exercises and high-level military cooperation.

Ouyang Wei said the Chinese government and armed forces were concerned at threats to its domestic security and hoped for common security through close military cooperation with foreign countries to combat these threats.

The joint military exercises in 2003 were conducted with careful preparation and proper organization, which was unprecedented in the history of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) since its founding.

From Aug. 6 to 12, forces from five Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan took part in joint anti-terror exercise named "Coalition 2003".

It was the first exercise of its kind within the framework of the SCO, an organization primarily established to crack down on the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism. It was also the first time China had participated in multilateral joint military maneuvers.

In this exercise, the coalition forces displayed their military competence with modern equipment and exchanged their anti-terror experience.

On Oct. 22, 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 naval forces had held a joint exercise with their foreign counterpart since the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the exercise code-named "dolphin 0310", the two navies took part in anti-terrorism and joint search and rescue drills with warships and helicopters.

The first ever joint naval exercise between China and India was put under the spotlight on Nov. 14. This was another achievement in Sino-Indian exchanges since Indian Minister of Defense George Fernandes visited China in April this year.

In the exercise, the Indian fleet, comprising three warships, the guided missile destroyer INS Ranjit, the guided missile corvette INS Kulish and the fuel tanker INS Jyoti, joined the Chinese navy in the search and rescue exercises off the coast of Shanghai, with more than 1,500 navy officers and soldiers.

Chinese soldiers also observed other anti-terror military exercises in other countries. China was invited to observe this year's Cobra Gold, a US-Thailand-Singapore joint military exercise held in May, and Chinese observers were present at the strategic naval exercise launched by Russian Pacific Fleet in late August.

In August, China, for the first time, invited foreign military observers from 15 countries to watch military maneuvers at China's largest tactical drill base, aiming at introducing Chinese armed forces to the world and strengthening cooperation with foreign counterparts.

Besides the joint military exercises, China's military diplomacy also made remarkable achievements in army-to-army relations.

Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan, also vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and a state councilor, visited the United States at the invitation of US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and held positive and constructive talks with US leaders.

China-Russia military ties were also cemented and China-Russia strategic partnership went further. And China continued to enhance military relations with neighboring countries, with high level exchanges with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand and other countries. Tours made by Indian Defense Minister and Director-General of Japan's Defense Agency pushed China's military ties with neighbors to a new height.

China and France, Britain and other countries from the European Union shared frequent military exchanges, and the strategic consultation mechanism injected new vigor into bilateral ties.

Meanwhile, China maintained close military exchanges with Asian, African and Latin American countries, and traditional friendship deepened.

China had formed an all-round military cooperation with foreign armed forces in various fields and at various levels.

Zhang Bangdong said the joint military exercises, as an important channel to carry out international military cooperation, were conducive to improving China's ability to participate in international affairs.

The Chinese people love peace and so do the Chinese armed forces, said Zhang, stressing the Chinese military diplomacy was committed to world peace and development.

(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2003)