Vostok-2022 is the name of these joint maneuvers that must be carried out from this Thursday, September 1 with Russia by the soldiers of several border countries or allies of Moscow such as Belarus, Syria, India and especially China. . Maneuvers carried out while tensions are high between Western countries and Russia but also China.
In the United States, it is explained not to give no particular interpretation to these joint exercises, which were nevertheless carried out in the midst of the war in Ukraine. China itself, despite its maneuvers in August around the island of Taiwan and the tensions that there too ensued, asserts that his participation is ” unrelated to the current situation at regional and international level “.
What is certain is that the strengthening of Sino-Russian military relations has been going on for years, and that it worries Westerners – just last week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke of a “ strategic partnership that challenges our values and interestss”.
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A large participation
This is the second time this year that China and Russia have conducted joint exercises: last May, they took place near South Korea and Japan, while US President Joe Biden was in Tokyo – Japan reacted by launching its fighter planes.
As for the maneuvers which begin this Thursday in the Russian Far East, Chinese participation could be extensive: the three components, land, naval and air of the People’s Army are mobilized, a first for exercises carried out abroad.