BEIJING: Chinese national defence ministry spokesperson Thursday said the recently concluded training exercise, Shaheen-VII jointly conducted by air forces of Pakistan and China had achieved its desired results.

“The joint training exercise began from November 30, and culminated on December 23, at an operational base in Pakistan. It has achieved its desired results,” Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese ministry of national defence said while responding to a question asked by APP Foreign Correspondent during his monthly briefing held here.

He said the Chinese air force contingent included pilots and air defence controllers. Apart from the technical crew, fighter, bomber and early warning AWACS airplanes of the Chinese Air Force were also part of the drill.

The main objective of the exercise was to maximise the combat readiness of the air forces by providing a realistic training environment in different air combat scenarios.

Shaheen series of exercises between the two countries began in March 2011 and has since gone through seven major iterations.