China to send troops to Russia for joint military exercises

The Vostok drills are because of begin on the finish of the month and also will embrace India, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan.

Chinese language troops will journey to Russia to participate in joint navy workout routines that can begin on the finish of the month, Beijing’s defence ministry has stated.

Final month, Moscow introduced plans to carry “Vostok” (East) navy drills from August 30 to September 5, saying some overseas forces would additionally participate with out naming them.

Beijing and Moscow have shut defence hyperlinks and China has stated it desires to push bilateral relations “to a better stage,” whilst Moscow faces worldwide sanctions and widespread condemnation over its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

“The goal is to deepen sensible and pleasant cooperation with the armies of collaborating international locations, improve the extent of strategic collaboration among the many collaborating events, and strengthen the power to reply to numerous safety threats,” the Chinese language defence ministry stated in a press release.

India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and different international locations may also take part, it stated.

Relations between Russia and China have grown more and more shut below Chinese language President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and Beijing has been below strain for its opposition to sanctions imposed by many Western international locations over the warfare. Shortly earlier than the invasion, Moscow and Beijing agreed on a “no limits” partnership.

Beijing stated its determination to take part within the joint workout routines was “unrelated to the present worldwide and regional scenario”.

A 12 months in the past this month, Russia and China held joint navy workout routines in north-central China involving greater than 10,000 troops. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu praised the drills in China’s Ningxia and instructed they could possibly be developed additional.

In October, Russia and China held joint naval drills within the Sea of Japan. Days later, Russian and Chinese language warships held their first joint patrols within the western Pacific.

The next month, South Korea’s navy stated it had scrambled fighter jets after two Chinese language and 7 Russian warplanes intruded into its air defence identification zone throughout what Beijing known as common coaching.

The Vostok drills are the second joint navy train performed by Chinese language and Russian troops this 12 months.

Bombers from the 2 international locations performed a 13-hour drill near Japan and South Korea in Could, forcing these international locations to scramble jet fighters, as United States President Joe Biden was visiting Tokyo.

State Division Spokesperson Ned Value stated that whereas warming ties between China and Russia undermined world safety, Washington didn’t “learn something” into the drills.

“Many of the collaborating international locations additionally routinely take part in a big selection of navy workout routines and exchanges with the US as properly,” he instructed a press convention.

Russia’s japanese navy district contains a part of Siberia and has its headquarters in Khabarovsk, close to the Chinese language border.