China sends troops to Russia for ‘joint military drills’

The Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China has informed that it will send troops to Russia to participate in joint military drills in the Pacific Ocean.

The joint military maneuvers, dubbed Vostok 2022, will take place in Russia’s far east and also include the presence of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, among others.

Several news sources, such as Al Jazeera, also report that India, Nicaragua, and Belarus will participate in the military exercises.

TASS, Russia’s state news agency, reports that the military drills are scheduled to take place from August 30 to September 5 and will mobilize over 50,000 troops.

Specifically, naval forces of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China will practice joint operations in the Sea of Japan.

Previously, China and Russia practiced similar military maneuvers in 2018. However, a lot has changed around the globe in just four years.

According to NBC News, the Chinese Ministry of Defense highlighted in a press release that the military exercises were “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”, in reference to the war in Ukraine.

“The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats,” declared the Ministry of Defense, according to Reuters.

Under the respective leaderships of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, China and Russia have strengthened diplomatic ties.

Part of this has been the shared concern of the United States as an antagonistic force in the international scope.

Just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The Guardian writes, Moscow and Beijing announced a “no limits partnership”.

Nonetheless, the war in Ukraine has put a strain on their relationship, with China maintaining a neutral stance while voicing criticism of the Washington-led sanctions against Russia.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said to Al Jazeera that, while the US government regards the close ties between China and Russia as a “threat to global security”, they didn’t read anything into the joint military exercises.

Pictured: US State Secretary Antony Blinken.

“Most of the participating countries also routinely participate in a wide array of military exercises and exchanges with the United States as well,” Price declared in a press conference.

Earlier this year, China held military maneuvers relatively close to Taiwan, as a response to Nancy Pelosi's official visit to the Taipei government.

Meanwhile, Russia mobilized troops to Belarus just before invading Ukraine, under the excuse of military drills. These troops were later used to try to take over Kyiv.