Russian and Chinese military transport planes dropped more than 200 paratroopers and heavy weapons during a dress rehearsal Monday for a massive joint military exercise by the two former Cold War rivals, the first on Russia's territory according to AP. A 1,600-member Chinese military contingent backed by aircraft, tanks and other heavy weapons has traveled to the Chelyabinsk region in Russia's Ural Mountains for the war games, to be held Friday and watched by the leaders of Russia, China and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The SCO, which also includes four ex-Soviet nations in Central Asia, was created by Moscow and Beijing to address regional security threats, foster economic integration and counter U.S. influence in the strategically placed, energy-rich Central Asia. The maneuvers will follow an SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan on Thursday. China hosted the organization's first joint maneuvers in August 2005, which included a mock assault on the beaches of northern China and featured Russia's long-range bombers. The drills sent chills across the region.
