China, Russia to hold anti-missile drill: spokesperson

BEIJING: Chinese and Russian militaries will hold a joint anti-missile drill based on computer simulations this year, in the latest sign of growing cooperation between the two armies amid their opposition to the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD).

"Chinese and Russian militaries have been in close collaboration this year. We will continue working together to further bilateral relations," Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said. China and Russia have expressed their firm opposition to the deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, (THAAD) missiles in South Korea to ward off any missile attacks from North Korea. "During the year the collaboration between the two militaries has included strategic discussions, briefings on anti-missile issues, as well as maritime military drills," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Ren as saying.

On the US, China military ties, he said "Chinese and the US armies will conduct multi-level dialogues in various fields this year."

"The Chinese military is willing to work with its US counterpart to build mutual respect and trust, to focus on cooperation and instill positive energy into the bond between the two countries", he said.