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Chinese defence chief to meet Russian, central Asian counterparts

BEIJING: Chinese Defence Minister Chi Haotian left here on Tuesday for an annual meeting with his counterparts from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Chi, who is also Vice-Chairman of China's powerful Central Military Commission, was accompanied by Kui Fulin, deputy chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The five central Asian military leaders have held annual meetings since a series of border troop reduction agreements were reached at a 1996 summit in Shanghai, which formally established the group now known as the "Shanghai-Five".

The meetings have also allowed Beijing and Moscow to cement increasingly closer military and energy-related ties.

Chi was also accompanied by the commanders of the Shenyang and Xinjiang Military Regions, respectively Qian Guoliang and Li Lianghui, Xinhua said.

The military meeting precedes a presidential summit of the Shanghai-Five to be held in Tajikistan in May. AFP