China, Russia to hold joint military drills

RUSSIA : China and Russia will hold two joint military drills in the coming two months, military officials from both countries said here Monday.

Fang Fenghui, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’ s Liberation Army (PLA), together with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov, ratified relevant documents and announced the decision at a joint press conference. Fang, who is also a member of the Central Military Commission, is paying an official visit to Russia.

According to the two officials, Chinese and Russian armed forces will hold “Joint Sea-2013” drill in Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan from July 5 to July 12, and China-Russia joint anti- terrorism military drill code-named Peace Mission-2013 in Russia's Chelyabinsk from July 27 to August 15. The joint drills are not targeting any third party, and meant to strengthen cooperation between the two armed forces in military training, enhance their capability in coordinating military operations, so that they can play a positive role in safeguarding regional security and stability, Fang said.

AFP