Pakistan-China to hold anti-terror military exercise in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China will hold a two-week long joint military exercise with focus on anti-terror cooperation in Pakistan from November 16.

The exercise codenamed " YouYi-IV" will be spread over two weeks. It will also focus on the exchange of experiences and information through a "comprehensive training programme in real time", the Pakistani military said today.

The announcement did not specify the location of the exercise, but an earlier report from Beijing had said it would be held close to Islamabad.

The exercise will encompass "techniques and procedures involved in a low-intensity conflict operations environment", the military said.

"This joint interaction in the form of a military exercise aims at sharing and enhancing expertise of both armies in countering terrorism," it said.

The word "YouYi" translates into "friendship". This series of military exercises by Pakistan and China began in 2004.

The Pakistan Army became the first foreign force to conduct an exercise on Chinese soil under this series.

The two countries have conducted three exercises so far, including two in China and one in Pakistan.

"These exercises were mandated to boost the existing professional relationship between the two friendly armies," the military said.

The military said Pakistan and China enjoyed "extremely close and brotherly relations since their inception, which have matured and strengthened over the years" and the upcoming joint exercise would "pave the way for further cementing the existing bilateral relations".