BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- All the Chinese troops participating in the
"Peace Mission 2007" joint anti-terror exercise in Russia by the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries have returned to home, according
to military sources.
On Sunday, at 20:43 p.m., military trains carrying the last batch of the
exercise troops arrived in Manchuri City of north China's Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region.
Over 1,600 soldiers and officers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army
(PLA) joined in the anti-terror exercise in Russia's Chelyabinsk on August 9-17.
After the exercise, the Chinese troops were transported back to China, by
train and aircraft. It is the first time that the Chinese Army has accomplished
such a long-distance transportation of personnel and equipment in a large scale,
according to the sources.
"Peace Mission 2007" is the first ever joint military exercise involving
all the six member states of the SCO, namely China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A total of 4,000 soldiers and officers
from the six countries took part in the drills.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and other heads of state and defense ministers
from the SCO member countries observed the anti-terrorism exercise, which
involved airborne forces, fighter-bombers, military helicopters, armored
vehicles and other heavy weapons.
Founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, the SCO seeks to enhance cooperation
among member states in various areas such as security, economy, transportation,
culture, disaster relief and law enforcement, with security and economic
cooperation being the priorities.