One memorial envelope and four special memorial envelopes have been issued to mark the current joint military exercise by the Chinese and Russian armies, which are scheduled to last from August 18 to 25.

The issuing of the memorial envelopes is being done in collaboration between the joint headquarters directing the on-going military exercise by the Chinese and Russian armies, known as Peace Mission 2005.

The memorial envelope, the first military stamp ever issued by a Chinese company, is printed with a pigeon and covered with the main stamp depicting the Great Wall and a subordinate one showing the emblem of the joint exercise.

The four special memorial envelopes bear pictures that show coordinated actions by land, naval, air and other forces. Chinese and Russian stamps in memory of the victory in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression 60 years ago, as well as postmarks of Vladivostok, where Russia's Pacific Fleet is located, and Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Peninsula, where the exercise is carried out, are also being produced.

The five memorial envelopes are being sold in two kinds of packages. One is a simple collection of the five, while the luxury one adds a silver emblem of the joint exercise and eight Chinese stamps of the emblem.

(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2005)