It’s an approach that gives cause for concern. Beijing will send troops to Russia later this month to take part in joint military exercises. And this in order to “deepen” the “cooperation” between the two armies, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced.
China and Russia have close defense ties, and Beijing has said it wants to take bilateral ties “to a higher level” despite international condemnations over the war in Ukraine. As part of its cooperation with Russia, China will take part in the annual “Vostok” drills scheduled for August 30-September 5, according to a statement released Wednesday.
Exercises “unrelated” to the invasion of Ukraine
“The goal is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, increase the level of strategic cooperation between the parties involved and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats,” the Defense Ministry said in the press release.
India, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan, among others, will also take part in these exercises. China and India have been accused in recent months of offering diplomatic protection to Russia by opposing Western sanctions and arms sales to Ukraine. However, Beijing assures that its participation in the military exercises is “unrelated to the current situation at regional and international level”.
No “special interpretation” from Washington
These are the second exercises China and Russia are conducting jointly this year. In May, the two countries had organized 13-hour maneuvers near Japan and South Korea, forcing the latter to launch fighter jets as a deterrent when US President Joe Biden was in Tokyo.
Washington regularly worries about the rapprochement between China and Russia, believing it threatens global security. However, when asked about Chinese involvement in these joint exercises, State Department spokesman Ned Price indicated that the United States had no “particular interpretation.” “Most of the affected countries also regularly participate in a variety of military exercises and exchanges with the United States,” he told a news conference.