China will participate in joint military exercises with Russia
China is sending troops to Russia to take part in a joint military exercise, the country’s defense ministry said on Wednesday.
In a statement from the ministry, it is said that in the military exercise named “Vostak” under the leadership of Russia, apart from China, the troops of India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and some other countries will participate.
It also said, “China’s participation in the joint military exercise has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation.”
Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold ‘Vostok’ (East) military exercises from August 30 to September 5.
It was also reported from Moscow that some foreign countries will participate in the exercise. But at that time the names of the countries were not announced.
China’s Ministry of Defense said that they are participating in the military exercise as part of the ongoing bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia.
“The purpose of the exercise is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the militaries of the participating countries, improve the level of strategic cooperation between the participating parties and strengthen the capability to respond to various security threats.”
As Russian President Vladimir Putin’s friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping has grown, Beijing’s relationship with Moscow has grown closer under Xi.
Exactly one year ago this August, Russian and Chinese armies held military exercises in North-Central China. Where more than 10 thousand soldiers participated.
In October that year, Russia and China held naval exercises in the Sea of Japan. A few days later, for the first time, the warships of the two countries participated in a joint patrol in the western Pacific Ocean.
Beijing and Moscow announced their ‘unlimited partnership’ shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.
However, China has so far not violated the sanctions imposed by Western countries led by the United States on Russia, according to US officials. They even said that they did not find any evidence of military assistance from China to Russia.
