MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russian troops participating in the joint Russian-Chinese antiterrorism exercises will arrive in the deployment area by July 14, the Ground Forces press service said on Tuesday.

The Peace Mission 2009 antiterrorism drills, involving 2,500 military personnel, will take place in Russia and China on July 22-26.

The first phase of the exercises - military and political consultations - will be held in Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East, while the second and third phases will take place outside Baichen in northern China.

"The transportation will start on July 8, and all troops must be deployed in the area by July 14," the press service quoted deputy chief of the Russian General Staff Lt. Gen. Sergei Antonov as saying.

Antonov said the Peace Mission 2009 exercises "will become an important step in the development of the Russian-Chinese partnership and their armed forces."

The first Peace Mission bilateral antiterrorism exercises were held in Russia and the eastern Chinese province of Shandong in August 2005, involving warships, aviation and over 10,000 servicemen including marines and paratroopers.