China, Russia and four central Asian nations have begun an eight-day joint anti-terror military drill in a remote Muslim-dominated Chinese region.

About 6,500 soldiers and 80 aircraft from the six Shanghai Cooperation Organization nations (SCO), including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, will take part in the exercise in Urumqi, the capital of China's central Asian region of Xinjiang, and Russia's Chelyabinsk region.

Dubbed "Peace Mission 2007," the drill is being held in China's far northwest Xinjiang region for two days. It will then continue in Chelyabinsk, Russia from August 11-17.

Chiefs of staff from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan held strategic negotiations in Urumqi at the start of the drill.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to visit Russia and attend the anti-terrorism drill by forces from SCO.

The SCO grew out of a regional effort in the mid-1990s to reduce military forces among common borders. It later came to involve anti-terrorism efforts and cooperation in the economic and energy fields.