Source: PLA Daily

07-26-2007 11:19

New things always attract attention. The joint military exercises between the PLA and foreign forces can be counted as a new thing. Through dissemination of mass media in recent years, this new thing has gradually become known to the general public. In the eyes of professional servicemen, what is the significance of the joint military exercises between the PLA and foreign forces, and what are their personal understandings of this new thing? Recently, the PLA 2nd Non-Traditional Security Theory Symposium was held in Beijing, which was attended by related experts and scholars of the PLA, the reporters took advantage of this opportunity to interview some experts and scholars.

According to the statistics, since 2002, the PLA has held 17 joint military exercises with the troops of the related countries for the purpose of coping with non-traditional security threat, giving publicity to the concept of building a harmonious world and creating a peaceful international environment.

Why are the joint military exercises between the PLA and the foreign forces showing an upward trend? Tian Yixiang from a department of the General Staff Headquarters of the PLA held that it had something to do with the increasingly prominence of non-traditional security issue. Along with ever increasing impact of non-traditional security issue towards national security, it has already become a strategic decision for countries in the world to solve various types of non-traditional security threats by military means. In the new historical period, it is the sacred historical mission of the PLA to effectively handle non-traditional security issues and provide a solid security guarantee for sustaining the important period of strategic opportunity for national development.

The joint military exercises between the PLA and the foreign forces are playing an increasingly important role in the field of international military exchanges and cooperation. Sun Haiyang, an expert from a unit of the Second Artillery Force, said, "Through joint military exercises, we can learn from foreign armies and get acquainted with their advanced military theories and equipment and then we will try to find our own weakness and deficiencies. Meanwhile, joint exercises can also help foreign forces know more and understand better about the Chinese army, and debunk the rhetoric of "China threat".

Exercises are conducted for battles. Countries in the world attach particular importance to close-to-real-combat exercises. Guo Wenhui from a department of the General Staff Headquarters of the PLA said: It is an effective way to raise anti-terrorist fighting capability of our army aviation by taking take part in the Sino-foreign joint anti-terrorist military exercises and conducting comprehensive exercise in a true-to-life anti-terrorist environment.

Focusing on joint military exercises between the PLA and the foreign forces, participating experts and scholars earnestly summed up and exchanged their experience, explored and analyzed characteristics and laws, and came up with measures and suggestions.

 

Editor:Chen Ge