国内英语新闻:Maritime anti-terror exercise launched ahead of Shanghai World Expo

ZHOUSHAN, Zhejiang Province, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Maritime police authorities in Shanghai and the eastern China provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang launched a joint anti-terror exercise Saturday in the run-up to the Shanghai World Expo.

Seven naval vessels joined the maneuver, which was held in the waters off the Zhoushan Islands in Zhejiang Province, said Qian Junmin, a senior officer with the maritime police force in Jiangsu Province.

He did not say how many officers joined the exercise, which focused on shooting and other practices.

Shanghai, which sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River on the East China Sea, has a coastline of more than 600 km with busy water traffic.

For security considerations, the sea off Shanghai will be patrolled by armed boats and motorboats during the Expo, scheduled from May 1 to Oct. 31.