Chinese and Thai Special Forces started a 15-day joint counter-terrorism training exercise on Friday in Guilin of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The training is the third of its kind in four years.

Royal Thai Army Special Forces Commander Lieutenant-General Podok Bunnag (L), accompanied by Deputy Commander of Guangzhou Military Command, Lieutenant General Zheng Qin (R), after the opening ceremony of "Strike-2010" in Guilin, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Sept 8. [China Daily]

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Royal Thai Amy (RTA) each sent sixty soldiers to take part in the counter-terrorism in urban areas drill.

Code-named "Strike-2010", the exercise aims "to deepen the on-going exchanges and cooperation between the two militaries, and further promote military security and mutual trust," said Lieutenant General Zheng Qin, deputy commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, in his opening remarks.

"The Thai army exchanges more regularly with other countries, and has more experience in real combat than us. We should learn from them," Zheng told reporters later.

Lieutenant General Podok Bunnag, commander of the RTA Special Forces, said the joint training, "shows the closeness between our two militaries".

"The deep friendship between the soldiers formed during the training is also a symbol of the friendship between our two peoples," added Bunnag.

This is the third time the armies of the two countries have staged joint training drills since 2007, which analysts say are of great significance despite their small scale.

The previous two were held in China's Guangdong Province in 2007 with 30 troops from each side, and in Thailand' Chiang Mai province a year later with 24 troops from each country participating.

Zheng said the increasing scale of the training "injects new momentum into the close relationship between Chinese and Thai armies."

The training is composed of three stages: weapon demonstrations and skill exchanges, joint training, and the final drill.

In the opening ceremony, the Thai soldiers performed Thai Boxing, and the Chinese soldiers performed combat techniques and simulated anti-terror operations in a factory and supermarket.

Song Qingrui, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, sees great potential in China's military exchanges with Thailand and other countries.

"Compared with the drills and military cooperation of the United States and its allies in Asia, China's military exchanges in this area are rare and not that eye-catching," said Song.

But Song said the regular joint trainings between China and Thailand are also "a good example for China's military cooperation with other Southeast Asian countries".