MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and China will hold joint military exercises on August 18-25 that will involve 10,000 troops from the air force, the navy, and the airborne and land forces, the press office of the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The joint exercises, Peaceful Mission-2005, will be held within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) in Russia's Maritime Territory and on China's Shandong Peninsula.

"The exercises aim to deepen mutual trust, strengthen friendly relations and bilateral defense and security cooperation, practice joint measures to fight international terrorism and extremism, settle regional crises and raise the level of joint responses to new challenges and threats," the ministry said.

The chiefs of general staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the People's Liberation Army of China will announce the start of the exercises on August 18 in Vladivostok (Russia's Far East). The defense ministers and observers from the SCO member states have been invited to the exercises.