Leaders of China, Russia, to observe war games

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The leaders of China, Russia, and four Central Asian states will observe joint war games being held this month by their countries' armed forces, China's foreign ministry said Thursday. The Aug. 9-17 drill, called "Peace Mission 2007," in eastern Russia will coincide with an annual summit of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui told reporters at a briefing. "This is the first time that all the leaders of SCO nations will attend the war games," Li said. "All the member countries put a high value on these drills." The exercises are aimed at countering terrorism, including a scenario in which militants occupy a town, requiring SCO forces to retake it by force - a scenario similar to threats faced by Russia in the Caucuses.