Chinese military to participate in joint exercises in Africa, Mongolia

BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The militaries of China, Tanzania and Mozambique will hold the "Peace Unity-2024" joint exercise from late July to mid-August in Africa, according to a military spokesperson on Thursday.

The exercise will see the troops conduct joint counter-terrorism military operations both on land and at sea, said Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference.

The exercise aims at deepening military mutual trust and practical cooperation among the militaries to jointly preserve regional peace and stability, Zhang said.

Meanwhile, at the invitation of Mongolia's Ministry of Defense, an army detachment of the People's Liberation Army will also set off for Mongolia to participate in the "Khaan Quest-2024" multinational peacekeeping exercise in late July, according to the spokesperson.

Zhang also briefed the media on the recent joint military exercise undertaken by Chinese and Lao armed forces from July 5 to 18 in Laos.

The second exercise in the "Friendship Shield" series featured joint planning and command, coordination between multiple services and arms, and friendly interactions and exchanges, Zhang said.

The Chinese military is willing to work with the Lao side to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two parties and two countries, strengthen practical cooperation on defense, and actively contribute to the construction of a community with a shared future for China and Laos, the spokesperson said.

He also spoke about military relations between China and Brazil following a meeting between Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and Brazilian Army Commander Tomás Ribeiro Paiva earlier this month.

"We are willing to work with the Brazilian side to continue deepening cooperation on international peacekeeping, joint exercises and training, multilateral coordination, military culture and other areas. We are also willing to enhance our joint capability to address challenges, and send more positive signals of stability and reliability to the world," Zhang said.