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Chinese troops have already arrived at the designated drill location, while the naval forces are currently en route to a meeting with Russian warships in preparation for China's participation in the upcoming Vostok-2022 exercise in Russia.
According to a Chinese military official, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has dispatched troops to Russia to participate in the Vostok (East)-2022 strategic exercise.
As per Tan Kefei, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of National Defense, countries such as India, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Mongolia have also dispatched troops for the drill.
China-Russia Military Cooperation Plan Reached
According to TASS, the Chinese military's participation in the exercise seeks to develop practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating nations, improve strategic coordination, and boost the capacity to deal with diverse security challenges.
Based on the yearly China-Russia military cooperation plan and the two sides' agreement, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokeswoman for China's Ministry of National Defense, stated during a routine news briefing on Thursday that the PLA has sent some of its personnel to Russia to participate in the Vostok-2022 exercise.
Tan announced that Chinese ground and air forces had arrived at designated positions after completing forces assembly, field camp establishment, and site checks, with adaptive flight training missions underway and that Chinese naval forces had conducted communications exercises after meeting with Russian warships at sea.
China's participation in the drills demonstrates that the Chinese military can decide when and with whom to conduct exercises based on its own security needs and training arrangements, regardless of external factors, Zhang Xuefeng, a Beijing-based Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Thursday.
It has little to do with present international and regional issues, according to Zhang, and the West should not overreact to it. According to Song Zhongping, a Chinese military analyst and TV pundit, the first Russian practice in which the PLA land, naval, and air units participated demonstrates the continuous expansion of China-Russia military cooperation.
China and Russia will learn from one another since both militaries have advantages. As the world's two largest military powers, China and Russia's military cooperation will also contribute to regional peace and stability, deterrent buildups against foreign forces with bad intentions, and the battle against hegemony and power politics, Global Times reported.
News Came After Russia, North Korea Express Close Ties
Participation in the Vostok [East] exercises from August 30 to September 6 was declared by Beijing to be unrelated to current events and part of continuous cooperation with Moscow. However, the open display of solidarity appeared to suggest a growing closeness between the two nuclear powers.
It also occurred only days after Russia and North Korea, another nuclear state, announced tighter ties. China has been vague in its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, declining to denounce it. There have also been phone contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, raising concerns about hidden energy agreements. After promising to deepen cooperation with Russia last month, China received a furious response from the US, as per Express.
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