By Liu Yintang, Lü Desheng
JIXI, Aug. 31 (ChinaMil) -- An eight-person inspection team of the Joint Party made up by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan came to China via the Suifenhe Port in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province on August 29 to inspect border defense forces of the Chinese PLA's Jixi military sub-command, which signified that the last round of border disarmament inspection of the two sides (China and Joint Party) officially kicked off.
In 1996, the five countries, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, signed the Agreement on Confidence-Building in the Military Field in the Border Areas, and in 1997, they signed the Agreement on the Mutual Reduction of Military Forces in the Border Areas, both of which are collectively referred to herein as the “Two Agreements”.
According to the “Two Agreements”, China and the Joint Party (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan), should inspect each other’s border defense forces stationed within 100 kilometers along each side of the border a few times a year.
This year, China and the other four countries have organized three rounds of inspections in the eastern section of the China-Russian border and the border areas of China-Kazakhstan and China-Kyrgyzstan.
During the inspection, the military inspection team listened to the Chinese side's detailed introduction, including the authorized strength, barracks distribution, and in-place personnel of the Jixi military sub-command. Subsequently, the team carried out an on-site inspection of the sub-command’s office space, garages, and barracks and so on. After completing the inspection, the team signed an inspection report.
An officer from the Chinese side said that over the last two decades, the border defense and other relevant departments of the five countries have constantly stepped up exchanges and cooperation, carefully organized inspections on the obligation of the agreements, actively prevented dangerous military operations, and effectively safeguarded the security and stability of the border areas.
As a result, the land border line of more than 7,600 kilometers between China and the other four countries has been built into a friendship line, a cooperation line, a security line and a development line, making significant contributions to maintaining peace in the Asia-Pacific region and the world, the officer said.