Hong Kong, July 24 (RIA Novosti, Mark Zavadsky) - The Commonwealth 2005 exercise, to be held next month by the Russian and the Chinese military, will create no threat to security in Asia and the Pacific Rim, Charles Morrison, of the U.S. think tank East-West, told RIA Novosti in an interview. But he said he was hopeful that the joint exercise would not lead to the creation of a Sino-Russian military alliance.
The exercise, aimed at improving coordination in joint counter-terrorism operations, is to run August 18 through 25. It starts in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok, with consultations between the chiefs-of-staff, and then moves on to China for practice sessions, in which about 3,000 Russian servicemen and over 5,000 Chinese are expected to take part.
Morrison acknowledged that Russian-Chinese military cooperation was indeed a subject of concern for some members of the U.S. Establishment, but said that generally it was not seen as a threat to security in the Asia-Pacific region. He said the United States would like Russia to play a more pro-active role in the region, but through political mediation rather than an increased military presence.
The U.S. analyst praised Russia for its contribution to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, whose next round is to begin in the Chinese capital, Beijing, on July 26.
The East-West think tank was established at the U.S. Congress' initiative in 1960, with a view to improving mutual understanding between the United States and nations of Asia and the Pacific Rim. In the past nine years, the center has issued annual surveys on the security situation in the region. The U.S. government relies on these surveys when setting its foreign policy priorities.
