Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China and Pakistan start joint exercises today which will see troops of the People’s Republic deploy outside its borders for the first time. A contingent of the People's Liberation Army arrived in fact at dawn in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, to take part in the exercises “aimed at helping the two allies fight terrorism”, the Pakistani military said yesterday.
The exercises come two weeks after a visit to Pakistan by President Hu Jintao. The two armies held similar exercises in China in 2004.
“The focus of exercises will be to mutually benefit from each others’ experience in planning and conduct of anti-terrorist operations. The 10-day-long exercises are aimed at strengthening the existing bonds of friendship between the armies of the two countries,” the Pakistani military said.
Beijing is particularly concerned about terrorism. China has waged a relentless campaign against what it calls the violent separatist activities by Uyghur Muslims in their far-north-western region of Xinjiang.
The region shares borders with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Mongolia, and three former Soviet Central Asian republics.
For many human rights activists, the issue of terrorism is an excuse by the Communist government to persecute the Uyghur minority.
For its part, Pakistan is a key ally in the US-led “"war on terror” and its security forces have launched operations against al-Qaeda-linked militants hiding in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.
Beijing is Pakistan’s main supplier of conventional arms and analysts believe it has also supported Islamabad's missile and nuclear weapons programme.
During Mr Hu's visit, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for long-term collaboration in defence production, including development of an airborne early-warning surveillance system.