Beijing: Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the International Army Games will be held in Moscow and the Chinese People's Liberation Army has sent a delegation to participate.
Manzauli, Inner Mongolia in northern China, a train carrying personnel, military tanks and vehicles recently left for Zabaikalsk in Russia's Far East, state broadcaster CCTV's military channel reported on Monday without providing any additional details.
The event, which is Russia's largest multinational military exercise, is expected to see competition between the Chinese team and counterparts from 37 countries and regions. Twelve countries including Russia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia will host it from August 13 to August 27.
The International Army Games, held for the first time in 2015, are taking place this year amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West following Moscow's attack on Ukraine on February 24.
A sniper contest will be held as part of a war game in Venezuela, which broke ties with the US in 2019 after winning a second term in the election of President Nicolas Maduro, which Washington considered a "sham".
The Russian-led exercise will be conducted in the Western Hemisphere for the first time. Predetermining military assets in Latin America and the Caribbean could be a "strategic move" for China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela, according to a recent report by the Center for a Secure Free Society, a Washington-based think tank. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Niger and Rwanda will be the first African countries to participate in the Games.
Since 2015, China has been consistently competitive and will host three events, including a frigate race and an infantry fighting vehicle game.
Since 2005, Chinese and Russian armies have increased bilateral and multilateral joint military exercises. These exercises have received more frequent in recent years as the two countries deal with increasing hostility from the West.
The Chinese PLA is also interested in learning from their Russian counterparts, who have recently conducted military operations in various regions, including the North Caucasus, Georgia, Ukraine and Syria.
Military cooperation between the two has raised concerns in the West, despite claims from Beijing and Moscow to the contrary. The Japanese Defense Ministry said in its most recent defense white paper, which was published on Friday, that the security environment around Japan would be "directly affected" by increased military cooperation between China and Russia, including joint air and naval exercises in Northeast Asia. Huh.
Every year, the Russian Defense Ministry hosts the International Army Games, which bring together armies from dozens of countries to train for combat operations, including a 50 km (31 mi) march through the ice.
It follows a 13-day joint exercise in the Baltic last month in which 14 NATO allies participated. The United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Belgium were among the countries that participated. Finland and Sweden, which had applied to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, also participated in the exercise. This included amphibious operations, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, which NATO claimed would show the adaptability of maritime forces. It involved more than 45 ships, 75 aircraft and 7,500 people.
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