The Chinese military launched an exercise with live ammunition
code-named "Iron Fist-2004," in the Queshan Training Base in Henan
Province, central China, Saturday morning.
The exercise was carried out by a reinforced mechanized infantry
division in mountains in the training base of the Jinan Military
Area Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Some 60 foreign military leaders, observers and officers from 16
countries observed the exercise, including Brunei, the Philippines,
Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Uzbekistan and
Vietnam.
It is the first time for the PLA to invite so many high-ranking
foreign military officers to observe a military exercise, which is
also the largest-scale military exercise opened to foreign
observers, said a Chinese officer in charge of the
maneuvers.
(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2004)