China, Russia set to begin their first joint military exercises on Aug. 18

China and Russia will be holding their first joint military exercise on Aug. 18-25 with nearly 100,000 troops in two sites on China's and Russia's eastern coasts, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced yesterday.

The announcement highlights warming ties between Beijing and Moscow after decades of Cold War hostility.

Their reconciliation has been driven in part by mutual unease at US power and a fear of Islamic extremism in Central Asia.

The exercises with army, navy and air forces will take place on China's Shandong Peninsula and in the Russian city of Vladivostok and in nearby waters, the ministry said.

The ministry did not give any additional details about the planned activities.

The exercises are meant to "strengthen the capability of the two armed forces in jointly striking international terrorism, extremism and separatism," the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua news agency. Plans for a joint exercise were first announced in December.

The ministry attempted to reassure China's neighbors, saying that the exercises "neither aim at any third party nor concern ... the interests of any third country."

Earlier Russian news reports suggested the exercises might be held near Taiwan, serving as a rehearsal for a Chinese invasion of the country.

Russian news reports said that Moscow also had asked to hold the exercises in China's Muslim-dominated desert northwest, which borders Central Asia, a region where both governments worry about possible threats from Islamic extremists.

The two governments have also invited observers from other governments in the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security group led by Beijing and Moscow, the ministry said.

The group, meant to combat separatism and Islamic extremism in Central Asia, also includes Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

The goal of the drills is to "deepen Sino-Russian mutual trust, promote mutual friendship and enhance the cooperation and coordination of the two armed forces in the areas of defense and security," the ministry said in a statement.