BEIJING, July 29 -- According to the consensus reached by the two countries, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will participate in the exercise ZAPAD/INTERACTION-2021 to be held in China in early and mid-August, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND), at a regular press conference of the MND on Thursday.

The exercise will be held at the combined-arms tactical training base of the PLA Army in Qingtongxia City of West China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the theme of jointly safeguarding regional security and stability.

The two sides will establish a joint command. The Chinese participating troops mainly come from the PLA Western Theater Command, while the Russian participating troops from its Eastern Military District. A total of more than 10,000 troops will be dispatched by the two sides, along with multiple types of aircraft, artillery and armored equipment.

The two sides’ participating troops will be mixed into teams to make plans jointly and conduct training together, in a bid to verify and improve both troops’ capabilities of joint reconnaissance, search and early warning, electronic information attack, and joint attack and elimination.

The exercise is aimed to consolidate and develop the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era, deepen the practical cooperation and traditional friendship between the two militaries, and further demonstrate the two sides’ resolve and capability to fight against terrorist forces and jointly safeguard regional peace and security.