Russia and communist China - cold war opponents - have now joined in military exercises, which began August 19. The aim of the eight-day manoeuvres was to: 1. Join forces opposing the U.S., which the two feel is becoming too powerful; 2. Strengthen the capability of the two armed forces to jointly fight terrorism and extremism (as stated by Chief of Chinese Army's General Staff); 3. For both countries to protect stability in the region (as stated by Russian General Staff); 4. Restore order in a third country torn by massive ethnic unrest. (This is the stated official purpose of "Peace Mission 2005", the name of the exercise); and finally, as experts say, the goal may be more a commercial than military one.

All of the above noted official purposes lead to Taiwan, which communist China believes it "owns". The independence of Taiwan is considered to be a form of terrorism, extremism or massive ethnic unrest in commiespeak. Communist China is also terrified of Taiwan's impending declaration of independence, having said it will attack Taiwan while knowing it would be hard to invade a democratic country.

The manoeuvres started in Vladivostok with the laying of wreaths at a WW II memorial then took place mainly in the Yellow Sea and culminated in China's Shandong Peninsula. The event involved 10,000 troops, mainly Chinese, 140 naval ships and submarines, Tu-22M long-range bombers, Tu-95 strategic bombers, Su-24M2 bombers, Su-27SM fighters, Il-76 transport planes and Il-78 refuelling planes.

"With amphibious landings and naval operations involved, I don't think that the purpose of these exercises is anti-terrorism," Arthur Ding, an expert on the People's Liberation Army at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan, told Agence France Presse.

Ding added, "Communist China and Russia are sending a signal to Taiwan not to go down the road to independence and to the United States not to push communist China into a corner by backing Taiwan independence forces."

Two weeks before the manoeuvres, communist Chinese Major General Zhu Chenhu stated that communist China should use nuclear weapons in the event of US intervention on Taiwan's side.

The Shanghai Co-operation Organization, a security group that includes Russia, China and four of the five Central Asian states was on hand to observe the exercises. Is their presence a warning to the U.S. to stay away from the region and do some sabre rattling to bring Taiwan in line?

Claire Bigg's August 18 article for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty notes, "Beijing might be particularly interested in acquiring sensitive military equipment and technologies that Moscow has so far refused to sell. Experts said the inclusion of Russian strategic and long-range bombers is no coincidence." Bigg adds, "over the past decade, massive Russian arms sales to (communist) China have the development of bilateral co-operation. According to estimates by the Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, Russia has been delivering an annual average of $2 billion worth of arms to (communist) China since 2000, including fighter aircraft, submarines and destroyers."

The U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said that, "We won't be observing it (the exercises). We would hope that anything that they do is not something that would be disruptive to the current atmosphere in the region."

A nation, such as communist China, that considers independent statehood and elections, such as proposed by Taiwan, to be a mortal danger, is in itself possibly even a greater danger to stability in the region.

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