China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have agreed to cooperate in fighting terrorism, separatism and cross border crime between their respective nations. Their senior security officials will meet once a year to develop new programs to further these objectives.

Small numbers of Jordanian troops have been undergoing military training in Taiwan for several years, although this was kept secret until just recently. A Jordanian sergeant was killed during parachute training, and the incident resulted in angry questions on the floor of the notoriously raucous Taiwanese parliament. Defense Minister Tange Fei indicated that "about ten" Jordanians were in the country for training at this time and that small groups such as this were present quite often.--Stephen V Cole