Russia and China increase joint maneuvers: what’s behind it?

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Lerato Khumalo

In recent years, Russia and China have increased the number of joint military exercises. Now a surprise visit by the Russian Defense Minister to Beijing is making people sit up and take notice.

Russia and China are committed to increased cooperation on defense issues. Against this background, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Beloussov unexpectedly traveled to Beijing on Monday for talks with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun and the Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia.

Beloussov then explained, according to state news agencies, that there had been “significant” discussions. “We share the same views, a common assessment of the situation and a common understanding of what we need to do together,” the RIA agency quoted him as saying.

The aim is to strengthen bilateral relations. The minister emphasized that “important decisions” will be adopted during his visit. What these should be remained unclear. According to a report by the Russian news agency Tass, his Chinese colleague also said that both countries were opening a new chapter in their cooperation.

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This photo published by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun (l.) and his Russian counterpart Andrei Beloussov at a welcoming ceremony of the People’s Liberation Army Honor Guard: Beloussov made an unannounced visit to Beijing. (Source: Vadim Savitsky/dpa)

His unannounced visit to Beijing comes at a time of growing global tensions: Russia is waging a brutal war of aggression in Ukraine, China’s neighbors are complaining about Beijing’s increasingly aggressive behavior, especially in the South China Sea. Although Russia and China support each other, they are still not officially allies.

So what do China and Russia want to achieve with their joint military exercises and visits by high-ranking military officials?

According to data from the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), joint military exercises have increased significantly in recent years. Soldiers from both countries trained together for the first time in a land forces exercise in 2003. Since then, a total of 102 joint maneuvers between different military units have taken place – more than half of them since 2017 alone. The majority of the exercises took place in Russia or China, but naval maneuvers also took Moscow and Beijing’s naval forces to Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and the Bering Sea.

It was only in September that the two countries held the large-scale joint naval exercise “Ocean 2024”, which, according to Kremlin boss Putin, was to take place from the Mediterranean to the Pacific. “We are paying particular attention to strengthening military cooperation with friendly states,” he said in a televised speech at the start of the maneuvers. “In the context of growing geopolitical tensions in the world,” this is particularly important.

Russian Defense Minister Beloussov’s visit takes place a week before the Brics summit in Kazan, Russia, where heads of state Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are also expected. The Brics Group takes its name from the first letters of its first five members: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Other countries have now joined, including Iran. Turkey also wants to become a member.

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This still image from a video from the Russian Ministry of Defense is intended to show a joint naval exercise between China and Russia: The naval forces of both countries were probably trying out how to combat submarines. (Source: ap)

This is how China benefits from Russia

For Russia, the maneuvers and the defense minister’s visit to China are particularly about showing that the country is not internationally isolated despite the attack on Ukraine. Russia’s army has been tested by various wars over the past decades.

China’s military, on the other hand, is considered strong on paper simply because of its sheer size of around 2.2 million soldiers and a fleet of probably 730 warships, but Beijing’s troops have not yet proven this. In comparison: The USA has a good 1.3 million soldiers and 472 warships, but overall the US military is considered to be significantly superior in quality.

And so China apparently hopes above all to be able to learn from the Russian military. According to the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), this is about, for example, the Russian experience with drone attacks on sea and port infrastructure. Without its own navy, Ukraine has managed to severely decimate the Russian Black Sea Fleet since February 2022. Kiev’s troops are particularly relying on the use of sea drones.