Russia to hold joint exercises with China

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday that it will launch military drills in the country's east involving China and a number of other countries.

The Vostok 2022 exercises will be held September 1-7, the ministry said. It added that foreign contingents had already arrived at a training center in in the coastal Primorsky region and had begun preparing for the drills and receiving equipment and weapons.

The drills will involve China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Algeria, Syria and a number of former Soviet states.

What else do we know about the drills?

The drills will be conducted at seven firing ranges in Russia's Far East.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that units of Russian airborne troops, long-range bombers and military cargo planes will take part in the exercises.

The ministry said that the Russian and Chinese navies in the Sea of Japan will "practice joint action to protect sea communications, areas of marine economic activity and support for ground troops in littoral areas."

When announcing the exercises last month, the Russian military stressed that the planned combat training is continuing despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Defense ties between Moscow and Beijing

China and Russia's defense ties have been strengthening in recent months amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and tensions around US support for Taiwan.

China has blamed Western "provocation" for the war in Ukraine and has voiced opposition toward sanctions on Moscow.

Moscow has backed Beijing amid tensions with the US over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which China considers to be part of its territory. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew parallels with the war in Ukraine, arguing that US support for Kyiv and Taipei was part of efforts to foment global instability.

However, Beijing insisted that its participation in the joint exercises was "unrelated to the current international and regional situation." Similar drills were last held in 2018.

The US State Department also said it didn't "read anything" into the drills.

Russia and China have held a series of joint drills in recent years, including naval exercises in the Sea of Japan and East China Sea. Last year, Russian troops deployed to Chinese territory for maneuvers for the first time.

sdi/sri (AP, AFP, Interfax)