The multinational peacekeeping exercise, Shared Destiny-2021, began at a military training base in Central China's Henan province on Monday, according to the Chinese military's commanding headquarters for the exercise.

Troops from four nations — China, Mongolia, Pakistan and Thailand — took part in an opening ceremony on Monday morning at the Queshan Combined Tactical Training Base of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, and then moved to multiple training ranges to conduct drills, the headquarters said in a statement.

The 10-day multinational peacekeeping exercise is the first of its kind held by the Chinese military, and is focused on joint operations by peacekeepers from several nations. The exercise is a response to the United Nations' Action for Peacekeeping Initiative and is intended to foster practical cooperation among peacekeeper-contributing countries, and improve the skills of standby peacekeeping units.