About 3,000 people took part in a two-day weekend military exercise off China's southeastern coast amid increasing tensions with Taiwan, China News Service reported Monday. Officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), militia and paramilitary police participated in the drill, which concluded on Sunday in Zhangzhou, east China's Fujian Province.

The launch of three red flares signaled the start of the exercise on Saturday afternoon.

When it received orders, the Defense Mobilization Committee of Zhangzhou rapidly organized the local citizens to enter a state of war.

The exercise focused on how to support the PLA on the sea during time of war.

The report did not disclose the identity of the intended target of the exercise. However, the PLA and the Taiwan army are both conducting military exercises.

The military practiced transporting weaponry and personnel as well as providing logistical support, telecommunications and oil and water supplies. Medical care and ship maintenance were also included in the exercise, as well as firing surface-to-air guided missiles from militia watercraft.

The militia completed about 20 drill tasks.

Lieutenant General Zhu Wenquan, commander of the Nanjing Military Region, and Lu Zhangong, governor and acting Communist Party chief of Fujian Province, attended the exercises.

"The people's war is the legacy of our Party and our army. A people's war can help us win battles in the future. A people's war can help us complete the great cause of reunification," Zhu said.

(China Daily July 27, 2004)