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Russians Encounter Admiration, Distrust in Drill With China

Posted on: Saturday, 20 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

Text of report by Russia TV on 20 August

[Presenter] In the Far East, Russian and Chinese airborne troops today, for the first time, fought together against an imaginary foe. Under the scenario for the exercise they were on a peacekeeping mission. But still, the very fact of the exercise, which involves 10,000 servicemen, has alarmed Taiwan and the USA. They have long suspected that China is preparing for war. Neutral commentators believe that Moscow and Beijing are showing that they can counter Washington's military and political influence in southeast Asia. Our special correspondent Aleksandr Minakov reports from the Shandong peninsula.

[Correspondent] Before the exercise got under way, Chinese military men said several times that most of all they wanted to see Russian paratroopers in action. We've heard a lot about them, they said, and we want to see them with our own eyes. Today they got their chance. Russian and Chinese paratroopers trained together ahead of the exercise's final phase.

The difference in class is obvious from the outset. The Chinese paratroopers jump at 800 metres. The Russians at 600 metres. The Chinese jump without weapons. Ours do it armed to the teeth, and open fire while still in the air.

Although the Chinese paratroopers jumped before the Russians, our blue berets got to their positions first. But they acknowledge that jumping from someone else's sky is no easy matter.

[Andrey Titarenko, deputy platoon commander, 76th Airborne Division, captioned] Yeah, when we do it in Russia you somehow feel at home. But here -

[Uncaptioned paratrooper] The air's heavy.

[Titarenko] It's the evaporation. Up there the air's heavy and it's harder to breathe because of the air currents and flows. But back in Russia it's okay.

[Correspondent] Russian and Chinese troops have learnt a lot from each other during this week-long exercise. For example, our men noted the discipline and endurance of the Chinese soldiers and officers. They, in turn, admired the morale and weaponry of the Russian airborne troops.

[Dmitriy Igoshkin, section commander, 76th Airborne Division, captioned] Every day we show them [words obscured by ambient noise]. They photograph everything they can.

[Correspondent off-screen] You mean weapons?

[Igoshkin] Everything. Weapons [words obscured by ambient noise].

[Correspondent] The Chinese army is equipped with mostly Russian weaponry. And Russia remains its main supplier of military equipment.

[Vladimir Vasilevskiy, staff officer, Russian Airborne Troops, captioned] They're interested mostly in the Kornet antitank missile. They're very interested in our GS-30 [type of weapon not stated]. They're very interested in our machine guns and sniper rifles.

[Correspondent] The joint exercise involves ground troops, warships, special service commandos, and air power including strategic missile strike aircraft. So the scale of the operation has attracted the attention of many countries.

The USA made an official request to China for permission to send its own military observers. Beijing turned them down flat. So the Pentagon went its own way and sent strategic submarines to the region of the exercise, so that they could observe the joint exercise.

A Russian-Chinese military bloc is not on the agenda. But in this exercise, the two countries are confirming their position - that the world should not be unipolar.

But full trust between the Chinese and Russian forces is still a long way off. The Chinese army's traditional secrecy applies to this exercise as well. Russian journalists are still not being allowed to visit any units. Chinese soldiers are banned from giving interviews. Even our own officers are constantly encountering various prohibitions. [Video shows Chinese soldier at roadblock turning away a Russian soldier who lacks a permit]

The Chinese military attribute this to their army's need for secrecy. But they are promising that in the future, things will change.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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