By Yao Yunzhu

The joint military exercise of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Russian troops in Taonan, Jilin province marked the climax of a series of trans-national drills conducted by the PLA since mid June. In about a month, the PLA has cooperated with the troops of Gabon, Singapore, Mongolia and Russia for joint drills. The intensity of the exercises is unprecedented and impressive.

The exercises have achieved a series of breakthroughs. Joint military drills with Mongolia, Singapore and Gabon were held for the first time in the history of China's international military exchanges with them. The exercises extended to fields such as peacekeeping, safeguarding and humanitarian aid.

The breakthroughs reflect the new mindset of China's military diplomacy. Along with rapid economic development and the globalization of the national interests of China, the functions and tasks of the Chinese troops are ever expanding, pushing military diplomacy to be more open, creative and effective. Guided by the new security concept of "mutual trust, mutual beneficial, equality and coordination", the PLA has carried out international exchanges more confidently and actively. Deeper cooperation with foreign troops has helped China to shape a more secure environment and enhanced the global image of the PLA.

Bilateral and multilateral military exercises are a crucial part of Chinese military's international cooperation that aims to strengthen mutual trust, participate in global security affairs and foster regional harmony. Since 2002, Chinese troops have co-organized military exercises with troops from more than 20 countries.

Non-conventional security issues, such as humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, safeguarding and anti-terrorism, have been the focus of recent exercises. Non-conventional security threats, especially terrorism, have troubled China and the international community in recent years, calling for cooperation between the Chinese military and its foreign counterparts. When terrorists become globalized, anti-terrorist measures must become globalized, too.

Since China, Russia and Singapore have rich experience of fighting terrorism, the joint exercises were excellent opportunities for military staff to exchange experiences for improvements by all parties. Joint actions will be effective in containing international terrorism as well as other forms of cross-border security challenges.

The PLA has cooperation with African countries, too, to help improve their capability in coping with humanitarian crises. Beside poverty and pandemics that have long raged in Africa, natural catastrophes due to climate change as well as economic slowdown caused by the global financial crisis have added to Africa's travails. Hence, some African countries are facing acute humanitarian crises and urgently need generous international assistance. Against this backdrop, the joint exercise between China and Gabon in humanitarian aid is not only a military operation, but also a significant event in assisting local communities, especially in advancing their public health services.

In an age of diverse security threats, the Chinese military attached great importance to reaction to various types of security challenges and the implementation of diverse missions. The military must be able not only to win regional wars but also be victorious in non-combat actions such as anti-terrorism and anti-piracy operations. As non-conventional security challenges are more immediate, it is high time the Chinese military gained relevant experience and improved their tactics.

In addition to sending troops to take part in international peacekeeping missions, joint exercises with foreign armies are indispensable for the PLA in peace time, too. First, international cooperation is vital in dealing with most of the non-conventional security threats. Through joint exercises, the Chinese and the foreign troops can get familiar with each other in terms of command procedures and tactic features, set up smooth communication and coordination channels, resolve potential problems in cooperation, and pave the way for future security cooperation and joint actions. Second, the Chinese military can learn from foreign troops during the exercises and enrich their grasp of non-conventional military actions. Third, the troops can effectively practice through demanding exercises that simulate real operations.

In future, joint exercises with foreign troops will become routine. Since the PLA has just started to reach out to the outside world, joint exercises and trainings are still primitive in terms of frequency, scale and content. In order to satisfy the need to preserve national security and undertake international military missions in accord with China's status as a responsible nation, the PLA will carry out more exercises with more countries in more fields such as humanitarian aid, disaster relief, anti-piracy, anti-terrorism and environment preservation. Some of the exercises would be routinized and institutionalized.

The modernization of Chinese troops is always under the spotlight of international public opinion. Every step the military walks towards the outside world has aroused both praise and doubt. When the world is on a learning curve in dealing with the Chinese military taking more international responsibility, it is understandable that some media speculate or over-interpret China's breakthroughs in joint military exercises. The PLA, however, will follow its path to push its modernization and internationalization. Through more active international security and military cooperation, the Chinese military will make its own contribution to foster the peace and stability in the region and promote harmony and development.

The author is a senior expert in foreign military studies with the Academy of Military Sciences.

(China Daily August 6, 2009)