More than 10,000 defence personnel and seven different types of military aircraft are taking part in the drills in the eastern province of Shandong and the central province of Henan, the official China News Service said.

The exercises, codenamed "Vanguard 2010," will involve emergency evacuation, war planning, and reconnaissance and early warning, the report said. They are due to last five days.

The exercises -- aimed at ensuring preparedness for the defence of Beijing in a potential air raid -- will include one live-fire drill and will take place in real-time war conditions without any previous rehearsal, it added.

The exercises come hot on the heels of large naval and air drills held on China's southeast coast last week, just as South Korea and the United States conducted their own naval exercises in the region, opposed by Beijing.

A large group of submarines and warships from the People's Liberation Army Navy fired guided missiles in the South China Sea and tested anti-missile air defence systems.

The United States and China's neighbours have expressed concerns about what is perceived as Beijing's increasing military assertiveness.

In recent years Beijing has poured money into its once-backward People's Liberation Army, with a string of big-budget increases that have funded the development of a host of advanced missiles, jet fighters and other weaponry.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military officer, said last month that China's military had made "a fairly significant investment in high-end equipment" including satellites, aircraft and anti-ship missiles.

He called the move a "strategic shift, where they are moving from a focus on their ground forces to focus on their navy, and their maritime forces and their air force," adding he was "concerned."

China has also become increasingly vocal about territorial claims such as those in the South China Sea and over Taiwan, which it views as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

US officials worry that Beijing's more assertive stance in the Pacific Ocean could undercut America's long-dominant naval power in Asia.

China maintains that its army build-up is purely for national defence and poses no threat to other countries.

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