By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-26 08:54

Japanese attach excited

Colonel Tsubaki Yuichi, the Japanese embassy's army attach was also excited about getting to see the drill.

As this is the first time Japanese observers have been able to attend the military drill, Tsubaki said he treasured the chance very much and was looking forward to seeing more military exchanges between the two countries.

Speaking highly of the Chinese military's efforts to increase its transparency, Tsubaki said he hopes his Chinese counterparts will be able to participate in drills with Japan's Self-defense Forces next year in Japan.

A Chinese fleet will visit Japan at the end of the year but the country has not yet invited the PLA to a formal military exercise.

Mark O'Nell, a US deputy commandant said the military exercises had helped him understand more about the PLA.

"I can see that the soldiers have been preparing for a long time and once the drill started, they were very enthusiastic and they executed the plan exactly in the way their commanders told them to," said O' Nell.

He said the PLA's development was well suited to China's growing influence and was making good progress towards coping with the challenges of combat in the information age.

Gao Chao, chief of the No 146 Motorized Infantry Division said the exercise was a routine annual training task, designed to test the organization and planning competence of command staff and the integrated operation capability of the troops.

"We would like to exchange information and knowledge about how to fight a modern war with our foreign counterparts," said Gao.

The division is one of the PLA's oldest units, today incorporating a motorized infantry regiment, an armored regiment, an artillery regiment, operation support units and other units.

Other observers included officers from members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN members, Britain, and France, and other foreign military attaches in China.

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