China to send troops to Russia to participate in “Oriental” exercise

China’s participation in the joint exercise “has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold drills “East” from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, even as it waged a costly war. Ukraine. At the time it said that some foreign powers would participate, but did not name it.

China’s Defense Ministry said participating in the exercises was part of an ongoing bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia.

“It aims to deepen pragmatic and friendly cooperation with the militaries of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic coordination among the participating parties, and enhance their ability to deal with various security threats,” the statement said.

President of China Xi Jinping With his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Beijing and Moscow have grown closer.

A year ago this month, Russia and China held joint military exercises of more than 10,000 people in north-central China. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu praised the Sibu/Cooperation 2021 exercise in Ningxia, China, and suggested that it could be further developed.

In October, Russia and China held joint naval exercises in the Sea of ​​Japan. A few days later, Russian and Chinese warships conducted their first joint patrol in the Western Pacific.

Next month, South Korea’s military said it had scrambled fighter jets after two Chinese and seven Russian jets intruded into its air defense identification zone during what Beijing called routine training.

Shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Beijing and Moscow announced an “unrestricted” partnership, although U.S. officials said they did not see China evading U.S.-led sanctions on Russia or supplying it with military equipment.

Russia’s Eastern Military District, which includes part of Siberia, is headquartered in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border.