Air force troops of China, Thailand conducted a combined training called "Falcon Strike 2015" at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base from Nov. 12 to 30,2015.

This combined training, a normal annual training, reflects the trend of cooperation between China and the ASEAN countries in these years and displays the international presence of the Chinese air force, said Teng Jianqun, a military expert, in an interview with CCTV.

Colonel Shen Jinke expressed that this joint training aims at increasing mutual learning and understanding, pushing forward pragmatic cooperation between the air forces of China and Thailand and enhancing mutual trust and friendship.

J-11 fighters of China's air force and Gripen fighters of Thailand's air force took part in the joint training. The Gripen fighters, a third-generation jet fighter developed by Sweden, are a low-cost multi-role light fighter and the J-11 is heavy fighter, according to Song Xiaojun, special military commentator of CCTV.

The joint training has more political significance than military significance, according to Song. Thailand, an ASEAN country, stands on China’s side at the time when the U.S. and Japan keep hyping up the South China Sea issue. The joint training bears strong political significance.

Teng Jianquan said that the Chinese air force has become more and more open to the world. In the past, among the three branches of the PLA, only the Chinese navy conducted quite a few joint trainings with foreign countries. The performance of Chinese air force this year is worth noting. Both the Chinese navy and the Chinese air force took part in the Joint Sea-2015 exercise held in the Sea of Japan.