Beijing will send troops to Russia to participate in joint military exercises at the end of the month to “deepen cooperationbetween the two armies, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced. China and Russia have close defense ties, and Beijing has said it wants to continue bilateral relations.at a higher leveldespite the international condemnation of the Ukrainian war.
According to the announcement made on Wednesday, China will participate in the annual exercises.Vostok– scheduled from August 30 to September 5, according to Moscow, within the framework of cooperation with Russia. “The aim is to deepen the practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of the participating countries, increase the level of strategic cooperation between the participating parties and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats.“, says the press release of the Ministry of Defense.
no”special comment»
Among others, India, Belarus, Mongolia, and Tajikistan will participate in these military exercises. China and India have been accused in recent months of providing diplomatic cover to Russia in opposition to Western sanctions and arms sales to Ukraine. However, Beijing assures that its participation in the exercises “unrelated to the current situation at the regional and international levels“.
These are the joint exercises of China and Russia this year. In May, the two countries staged 13-hour military exercises near Japan and South Korea, prompting 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, considering that it threatens global security. Asked about China’s participation in these joint exercises, State Department spokesman Ned Price, however, noted that the United States does not have “special comment“. “Most of the countries concerned also regularly participate in a wide range of exercises and exchanges with the United States.“, he said at the press conference.
Source: Le Figaro
