QUNGDAO, China. Aug 12 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian and Chinese military finalized the plan of joint naval training for the upcoming bilateral Peace Mission 2005 exercise on Friday, Colonel General Vladimir Moltenskov, exercise leader on behalf of Russia, told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"We hold a conference of leaders and finalized the plan of joint training in the sea for August 14 and 15," Moltenskoi said.
He noted that an operations team of the exercise headquarters will arrive at China's Northern Fleet headquarters on Saturday to work on planning of the training and arranging a landing operation. According to Moltenskoi, an operations team of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff will fly to Vladivostok from Moscow on Saturday, too, to launch preparations for the first stage of the exercise on the Russian territory.
"The chief of staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army will arrive at the exercise headquarters in Qingdao on Saturday to personally control the entire subsequent training," Moltenskoi said.
Admiral Viktor Fyodorov, Pacific Fleet commander, told reporters that the upcoming exercise would involve a total of about 70 surface ships and submarines. The Chinese side will be represented by over 60 ships, while the group of Russian ships includes the Marshal Shaposhnikov large-displacement ASW ship, the Burny destroyer, the BDK 11 large-displacement landing craft, carrying a marine company, the Pechenega tanker, and a search and rescue tugboat.
The active phase of the first ever Russian-Chinese military exercise will be held in China from August 18 to 25. The exercise will involve up to 10,000 servicemen of the two countries' air forces, navies and land forces, including 2,000 Russian servicemen. The active phase of the war games will take place in China's Shandong peninsula and in the adjacent naval zone in the Yellow Sea.