Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) – The first joint military exercises between China and Russia were a success. Analysts say they are nearly sure the exercises will trigger a new arms race in the region, with a consequent increase of tension between regional powers.

The eight days of drills (from 18 to 25 August) started with a "strategic discussion" in Vladivostok and ended yesterday with the "invasion" of a beach in Shandong which included participation of amphibious troops, parachutists and ground troops. The final stage was a picnic of noodles, grilled eggplant and fried fish, washed down by plenty of Chinese beer.

Ties between Beijing and Moscow – now warmer following these war-games – have developed in recent years around points of shared interest, including instability in central Asia. Both states want to rein in fundamentalist pressures and put an end to political instability in Uzbekistan and Kirghistan outside their borders, at the same time keeping an eye on the US presence in the area. Russia and China are also partners in six-nation talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. China is seeking especially more energy resources from Russia, while Moscow is keen to increase sales of military hardware, like the bombers and jets used in the exercises. The People's Daily said that following the exercises, the two countries will increase the volume of military trade from 60 to 80 billion dollars by 2010. At the same time, China has decided to invest 12 billion dollars in Russia's energy sector by 2020.

Milton Liao Wen-chung, a military expert from Taiwan was struck by the success of the exercises: "I've seen many exercises in Asia in the past 10 years, but none of them can be compared with this one in terms of its scale, high mobility and long distance." Liao was also amazed by the cooperation between Chinese and Russians despite the formidable language barrier.

Liao, who is a research fellow at Taiwan's Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, said the outcome will increase arms sales and lead to greater regional tension: "It is likely we'll see confrontations in the region between two blocs - China and Russia on the one side and the US, Japan and Taiwan on the other."  The analyst said Washington and Tokyo would be alarmed by the sound performance which characterized the exercises and they would increase their military co-operation for fear of closer Sino-Russian collaboration.

Song Xiaojun, military expert from Beijing, said that a common interest of China and Russia to fight terrorism, separatism and extremism was highlighted by the military exercises. According to Song, rumours that the exercises were aimed at a possible invasion of Taiwan were only so much speculation. He advised China to launch a program for the construction of a military industry instead of depending on imports from abroad.