Military to minimize flight delays during drill

ZHURIHE, Inner Mongolia - Chinese military will take steps to minimize delays to civilian flights as drones and fighter bombers join in an anti-terror drill, a spokesman for the China Air Force said Monday.

A total of 23 aircraft will participate in the Peace Mission-2014 drill from Aug 24 to Aug 29 under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), along with aircraft from other member states, said Shen Jinke.

Drones, Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft, air-defense missiles, tanks and armored vehicles have joined the anti-terror drill in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

A total of 7,000 troops from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have arrived at the Zhurihe training base for the drill, including ground and air forces, special operations and airborne troops and others tasked with electronic countermeasures, reconnaissance, mapping and positioning.

"It's the first time that so many troops and so much weaponry have been deployed in joint drills under the SCO frame," said Wang Ning, chief director of the drill and deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army.

The joint exercise scenario involves a separatist organization in a certain country, supported by an international terrorist organization, plotting terrorist incidents and hatching a coup plot to divide the country, Wang said.

Member states of the SCO dispatch military force to put down the insurrection and restore the stability at the request of the given country, he added.

"The drill aims at deterring the three evil forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, safeguarding regional peace and stability, and boosting the militaries' coordinated ability to fight terrorism," Wang said.

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.