Russia sends troops, jets for drills with China
August 11, 2014, 7:42 am

Russia and China will hold joint military drill alongwith members from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the Zhurihe training base in the city of Hohhot, the capital of China’s Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region [PPIO]

Russia and China will hold joint military drill alongwith members from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the Zhurihe training base in the city of Hohhot, the capital of China’s Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. More than 7000 troops from the five countries will take part in the exercises from August 24-29.

“Trains with equipment and personnel of the Russian contingent participating in the drills will cross the Russian-Chinese border on August 13. A total of 900 servicemen and about 100 units of weapons will be shipped via railway transport,” said Russian military spokesperson Alexander Gordeyev.

“The exercise will be the fifth multinational drill under the SCO framework and will aim at deterring the “three evil forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, safeguarding regional peace and stability and improving the militaries’ coordinated ability to fight terrorism,” China’s Defence Ministry said earlier in a statement.

Russia will also be flying in four Su-25 jets and eight Mi-8MT helicopters to China for the drills, the Peace Mission 2014.

China’s President Xi Jinping has earlier ordered troops in Xinjiang, beset by unrest for years, to deliver a “crushing blow” to terrorism.

Authorities have said 59 “terrorists” were gunned down by security forces in Xinjiang’s Shache county and 37 civilians were killed in attacks by masked militants on July 28, one of the worst bouts of unrest in the region in years.

Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian-Chinese combat comradeship had long-standing traditions. “We remember that in the Second World War years our countries were allies and fought with the aggressor together,” Putin said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also recently became the first foreign leader who visited the Russian Defense Ministry’s operational control centre.

Founded in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are observers. Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

TBP and Agencies