China Will Participate in Russian Military Exercises

"The People's Liberation Army of China said it would join military exercises led by Russia in the latest demonstration of partnership between the two U.S. rivals.

Building on a "no limits" pact their presidents signed this year, the Russian and Chinese militaries will drill side-by-side in the Russian Far East, said China's Ministry of Defense. The exercises will mark their second joint show of force in the region this year after bombers from each country in May conducted a 13-hour drill close enough to Japan and South Korea that those nations scrambled jet fighters, as President Biden was visiting Tokyo.

Russia's Ministry of Defense didn't respond to a request for comment on the exercises, which Moscow set for Aug. 30 to Sept. 5.

Last month, the Russian ministry said units of its Eastern Military District, near the borders of China and North Korea, as well as airborne, long-range aviation and military transport-aviation personnel and equipment, would participate in training maneuvers, along with military contingents from other states it didn't name. Reports, including China's Defense Ministry statement, said India, Belarus, Tajikistan, Mongolia and other nations would join. Russia hasn't confirmed the participants.

The Russian action in Ukraine in February, and recent Chinese live-fire exercises around Taiwan, have elevated military tensions and put both Moscow and Beijing on the receiving end of criticism from Washington. Rather than formal treaty allies, China and Russia appear aligned primarily over shared interests, including a desire to check global dominance of the U.S., according to analysts.

A Russia specialist at Georgetown University, Angela Stent, said the exercises are likely to be scrutinized for signs of Russia's fighting capability. "The message will be, we have been criticized and sanctioned by the West but we have a range of other countries that are partners. We are not isolated," she said.

A spokesman for the U.S. State Department noted that most of the countries involved routinely participate in exercises with the U.S. as well. "We don't read anything into their engagements in this activity," Ned Price said.

China has declined to criticize or publicly endorse Russia's action in Ukraine, which began shortly after Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Beijing and they signed a lengthy joint statement that rejected the U.S.-led global political order. After Beijing practiced a possible military blockade of Taiwan this month in response to a visit to the island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Kremlin blamed the U.S. for heightening tensions." [1]

1. World News: China Will Participate in Russian Military Exercises
Areddy, James T; Simmons, Ann M. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 18 Aug 2022: A.7.