Beijing, August 1 (KCNA) -- China has staged 50 joint military drills with 28 countries from the year 2002, said a senior official of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Ministry of Defense on July 29.

Through the drills China sought to use its armed forces for peaceful purposes, the official said. The drills contributed to developing relations and friendship between the Chinese and foreign armies and upgrading the level of the Chinese army's exercises.