The Chinese armed forces will on Tuesday launch a practice code-named "North Sword-2005" in a training base in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

About 40 foreign military officers from 24 countries have been invited to watch the exercise at the Zhurihe training base, a tactical drill base in Inner Mongolia.

The exercise, which involves some 16,000 People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers and soldiers, is a maneuver inviting officers from the biggest number of countries since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

China has participated in multilateral military exercises to broaden security cooperation with other countries since 2000.

The following are military exercises that the Chinese armed forces held with foreign armed forces or those that invited foreign military personnel to observe in recent years.

-- Nov. 2002, China

The PLA invited the US military personnel to view the attack and strike exercise by a motorized infantry brigade of Nanjing Military Command against defending enemies in the context of a simulated field positional warfare.

-- Oct. 10 to 11, 2002, China-Kyrgyzstan

The PLA and the armed forces of Kyrgyzstan held a joint anti-terror military exercise on the border of the two countries. It was the first time for China to hold a military maneuver with foreign military forces and also the first bilateral anti-terror exercise conducted by members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

-- Aug. 6 to 12, 2003, SCO member nations

Armed forces from five SCO member countries including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan took part in a joint anti-terror exercise named "Coalition 2003". It was the first exercise of its kind within the framework of the SCO and also the first time China participated in multilateral joint military maneuvers.

-- Aug. 25, 2003, China

China, for the first time, invited 27 foreign military observers from 15 countries to watch military maneuvers at its largest tactical drill base in Inner Mongolia, aiming to introduce Chinese armed forces to the world and strengthen cooperation with foreign armed forces.

-- Oct. 22, 2003, China-Pakistan

On Oct. 22, 2003, Chinese and Pakistani naval forces conducted a joint search and rescue exercise off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea. It was the first time Chinese naval forces held a joint exercise with a foreign counterpart since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

-- Nov. 14, 2003, China-India

Chinese and Indian naval forces conducted a joint search and rescue exercise off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea, the first between the two armed forces.

-- March 16, 2004, China-France 

Chinese navy held its first-ever maritime drills with its French counterpart, off the coast of East China's Qingdao city.

-- June 20, 2004, China-Britain

Chinese and British navies held joint maritime exercise for the first time, off the coast of East China's Qingdao city.

-- Aug. 6, 2004, China-Pakistan

The PLA and the Armed Forces of Pakistan held an anti-terrorism exercise at Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Uygur Autonomous Region, bordering Pakistan.

-- Aug. 28, 2004, China-India

Chinese and Indian frontier troops held a joint mountaineering training, the first of its kind between the two armed forces, in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

-- Sept. 2, 2004, China

Some 50 servicemen from China and abroad observed an amphibian landing exercise in Shanwei of south China's Guangdong Province. The group consisted of military observers from France, Germany, Britain and Mexico.

-- Sept. 25, 2004, China

About 60 foreign military officers from 16 countries observed a practice with live ammunition code-named "Iron Fist-2004" in the Queshan Training Base in central China's Henan Province.

-- Oct. 2004, China-Australia

Chinese and Australian navies held joint maritime exercise off the coast of East China's Yellow Sea.

-- Aug. 18-25, 2005, China-Russia

China and Russia held their first joint military exercises, code-named Peace Mission 2005. The one-week maneuvers, which involved 10,000 troops from the two countries, started in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East and later moved to east China's Shandong Peninsula.

Source: Xinhua