Sounds like an East Asian Trading Company doesn’t it? Or maybe a trendy place for good eggroles and trolling for members of the oppisite sex?

For this old Cold Warrior, its formation makes me go hmmmmmmmmmmm. All together now, get into your inner Arsineo, hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Russia and China are the dominant countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a grouping that includes four former Soviet republics of Central Asia and which took on Iran, India and Pakistan as observers this year.

At a summit in July, the group called on Washington to set a date for the withdrawal of forces from Central Asia, where they have been deployed since late 2001 in support of military operations in neighboring Afghanistan.

If this were the late 80s or early 90s, I might be a bit worried. Well it’s not like they’re playing wargames or anything…

The war games launched Thursday will practice coordinating a joint force that culminates in a mock invasion next week on China’s Shandong peninsula in the Yellow Sea – using thousands of air, sea and land forces to simulate a mission stabilizing a restive country.

Go read the whole thing.

Note to Admin…looks like we’re going to need Russia and China categories.