Chinese, Australian troops end 1st joint drills in China

BEIJING – Chinese and Australian soldiers have ended a series of military exercises in the mountainous terrain of southwestern China.

A defence ministry statement said the small training manoeuvrs — “Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2017” — were the first joint drills the two countries have held in China. Ten soldiers from each country’s army participated in the exercise, which lasted 10 days and ended Wednesday, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The training in Yunnan province included mountainous marches, moving through natural obstacles and field survival.

Australia and China do over $100 billion in trade annually, but Australia is also an important U.S. military ally at a time when Beijing expands its global influence.