From the Washington Post (link):
China, Russia and four Central Asian nations announced Wednesday that they will hold joint anti-terrorism exercises next year, emphasizing a desire to balance U.S. military influence in Asia with stepped-up preparations of their own.
The regional security grouping, known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its activities have centered mainly on guarding against cross-border threats to internal stability, particularly from militant Islamic groups.
Guo Boxiong, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Military Commission, said the plans for joint drills demonstrate the group’s growing role in maintaining security in the region, the official New China News Agency said. He vowed that defense ministers from the six nations will work together to combat what China calls the “three forces” — separatism, terrorism and extremism — that threaten to provoke unrest in the area.
See also – “China’s Central Asia Outreach” by U.S. House International Relations Committee; – “The Sino-Russian ‘Shanghai Cooperation Organization’” by NewsMax.com; – “Shanghai Cooperation Organization Takes Significant Step Towards Viability” by EurasiaNet.org
