BEIJING -- The PLA Army will head abroad and participate a snowfield combat and march competition from April 4 to 20 at the invitation of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, a Chinese military spokesperson announced Thursday.

The competition known as "Sayan Range March" is an event of the 2021 International Army Games, said Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.

This is the first time the Chinese military sent a team to participate in this particular competition, said Ren.

Apart from this competition, the Chinese military will go abroad in 2021 to participate in a number of other International Army Games events and host three important events in China, added Ren.