SCO Wraps Up Military Exercises In China

Soldiers from Russia, China, and four Central Asian states are completing the final day of exercises simulating a military response to an outbreak of inter-ethnic tensions in any of the countries.

The Russian Defense Ministry's press service said August 29 that the six-day "Peace Mission 2014" live-firing drill in China also rehearsed joint antiterrorism operations.

The military exercise by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) includes 7,000 soldiers from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

Soldiers from the SCO's sixth member state, Uzbekistan, are not taking part.

The chiefs of general staff from the SCO member countries monitored the final stage of the exercises.

The SCO is a security alliance dominated by Russia and China and seen as a counterweight to NATO.

Based on reporting by Interfax and AP