Crews from Russia, Belarus, Iran, and Egypt have arrived in China’s northwestern Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region to take part in the Safe Environment international contest, held as part of the international Army Games 2017.

Crews representing five Armies of the world, including the host country, will take part in the contest. Iran has joined it for the first time by committing a crew to the contest of radiological chemical and biological warfare units. Last year, the Iranian delegation attended the competition as an observer.

China is hosting separate contests of International Army Games for the first time. The venue for the Safe Environment contest is the Chinese Defense Ministry’s Korla testing ground in a district of the same name.

Colonel Li Paiqing, a spokesman for the Chinese delegation pointed out the competition acquired a previously unseen scale this year, as crews from the countries of Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America were going to take part.

The contest events will take place from July 29 through to August 12.

This year’s International Army Games will be held at twenty-two testing grounds in Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China.