China and Russia engaged in a significantly increased number of joint military exercises last year compared to the past two decades, according to a Bloomberg report. China’s defense ministry also announced another air and sea drill with Russia in the Sea of Japan, aimed at safeguarding strategic waterways.
The report, citing data from the United States National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, stated that Beijing and Moscow conducted six joint military exercises in 2022. This number was a record high for military exercises and accounted for two-thirds of all of China’s drills with foreign militaries over the past 20 years. Notably, five of the six exercises took place after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Despite a history of suspicion between the two countries following a conflict along their border in the late 1960s, trust between Moscow and Beijing has been relatively new. The strengthening of Russia-China ties began in 2015 after the US and Europe imposed sanctions on Moscow for annexing Crimea in the previous year.
Since the annexation of Crimea, Russia and China have conducted at least 36 joint drills, compared to only 10 recorded before 2014, as reported by the NDU and Bloomberg News. While these exercises are smaller in scale compared to those conducted by the US and its allies, they hold significant political importance.
Experts suggest that these exercises are politically charged and carry signaling value, indicating the potential for Russia and China to work together in ways that may be seen as unfavorable or offensive to the US and its allies.
The Chinese defense ministry announced the deployment of a Chinese naval flotilla, consisting of five warships and four ship-borne helicopters, to rendezvous with Russian forces in a predetermined area. This comes after the announcement that China will conduct military drills with Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan. Two Russian warships, Gromkiy and Sovershenniy, are participating in the drill, marking the first time both Russian forces are involved.
The drills, codenamed “Northern/Interaction-2023,” will be organized by the People’s Liberation Army’s Northern Theatre Command, although the specific date was not provided by the ministry.
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