The Peace Mission 2009 joint exercise sent a clear message that SCO members do not allow terrorist forces to use their territories to undermine other members, Sun said.

The joint exercise was not directly aimed at addressing the riot because China and Russia have been preparing for it for months, Fend said. It is impossible for them to make major changes to the goals of the exercise with such short notice. In the future, however, China and Russia, as well as other SCO members, can take imminent terrorist and extremist threats into consideration when conducting joint military exercises, he said.

The SCO, which originated from the confidence building measures taken by its six members along their borders, has become an important factor that helps safeguard peace and stability in Central Asia, said Evseev. He said it is his hope that China and Russia continue to hold joint military exercises and that other SCO members join them as well.

Aiming High

Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, clarified the purposes of the Peace Mission 2009 joint antiterrorism exercise at a press conference in Khabarovsk on July 22:

—Implementing the consensus reached by Chinese and Russian presidents and further deepening the two countries' strategic partnership of cooperation

—Strengthening defense cooperation between China and Russia and deepening the pragmatic cooperation between their armed forces

—Showcasing Chinese and Russian armed forces' determination and ability to jointly fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism and promoting regional peace and stability

—Learning from each other's experience and improving their capacity to jointly cope with new challenges and threats.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)