China To Send Troops To Russia For Vostok Exercise.

Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register BEIJING, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Chinese troops will travel to Russia to participate in joint military exercises led by the host country and including India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries, China’s ministry said on Wednesday. Defense. China’s participation in the joint exercises “was unrelated to the current international and regional situation,” the ministry said in a statement. Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” (East) exercises from August 30 to September 5, even as it fights a costly war in Ukraine. He said at the time that some foreign forces would be involved, without naming them. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Its last such exercises were in 2018, when China participated for the first time. China’s defense ministry said its participation in the drills was part of an ongoing bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia. “The objective is to deepen the practical and friendly cooperation with the militaries of the participating countries, enhance the level of strategic cooperation between the participating parties, and enhance the ability to respond to various security threats,” the statement said. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Beijing and Moscow are growing closer. Shortly before Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow announced “borderless” cooperation, although US officials say they have not seen China evading US sanctions on Russia or providing military equipment. Russia’s Eastern Military District includes part of Siberia and is headquartered in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Tony Munroe. Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Bernadette Baum and Alex Richardson Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.