Commenting on the Russian-Chinese military exercises, the author emphasizes that the maneuvers are being conducted against the background of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, which the United States plunged into chaos, leaving to the mercy of fate. In the current situation, Beijing and Moscow need to strengthen unity in the fight against the three forces that threaten the countries of Central Asia — terrorism, extremism and separatism.
From August 9 to 13, Russia and China will conduct joint military exercises at the Qingtongxia training ground, located in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwestern China. According to the official representative of the Ministry of National Defense of China, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, the topic of the upcoming exercises will be the joint protection of regional security and stability.
The purpose of the upcoming exercises is to consolidate a comprehensive strategic partnership in coordination issues to enter a new era of relations between China and Russia. According to Wu, these exercises will also deepen the pragmatic cooperation and traditional friendship between the armed forces of the two countries, demonstrate the readiness and ability of both sides to fight the forces of terrorism and maintain security and peace in the region.
These exercises were called "Sibu / Interaction-2021". China and Russia will use a wide variety of military aircraft, artillery pieces and armored vehicles to test the level of joint intelligence, early warning mechanisms, as well as the potential for strikes and electronic information attacks. "Interaction" means that various types of troops, including land and air forces, will be involved in these exercises.
The exercises will be an air-ground integrated joint operation, and their main target will be forces that threaten regional security, namely the "three forces" - terrorism, extremism and separatism.
As part of these joint exercises, Russian forces will arrive at the Qingtongxia military base for the first time. In addition, this is the first joint military exercises to be held in China since the beginning of the covid-19 epidemic. This clearly demonstrates that the level of mutual trust between the Chinese and Russian armed forces is indeed increasing. From earlier exercises in non-traditional security areas to comprehensive exercises now, Russian-Chinese military cooperation is becoming increasingly close.
In the context of a comprehensive strategic partnership for coordination for the sake of entering a new era of relations between China and Russia, Beijing and Moscow should increase the level of mutual trust between their armed forces. In addition, due to the ongoing pressure from Western countries led by the United States, China and Russia are forced to strengthen military cooperation. The above-mentioned "three forces" still represent the main threat in the states of Central Asia, China and Russia. Beijing and Moscow need to strengthen unity on this issue.
On Thursday, Newsweek published an article saying that China and Russia will hold joint exercises "at the moment when the last American soldiers are preparing to leave Afghanistan." The author of the article stressed that the main goals of these exercises are "both political and tactical".
However, it should be noted that these joint military exercises of China and Russia are a regular event. They were planned last year. Thus, these exercises are not directed against any third party. Military exercises between China and Russia are becoming increasingly close. The two countries regularly conduct various exercises in traditional and non-traditional areas in order to maintain regional stability and peace.
As for the question of whether these exercises are related to the situation in Afghanistan, the key point here is whether Afghanistan will continue to suffer from threats from the "three forces". The opposition to these "three forces" is the mission of China, Russia, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Thus, these exercises are not directed against any third party. And some American media are unnecessarily fixated on joint Russian-Chinese exercises.
In fact, it is Washington that creates a lot of problems around Beijing and Moscow. His irresponsible decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan leaves this country in a state of chaos. We should also remember that Washington may try to drive a wedge in Central Asia, which will threaten Russian-Chinese relations or even the unity and cohesion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In response to the fact that Washington is creating more and more chaos around the world, Beijing and Moscow should jointly explain to the United States that they no longer need to interfere in the internal issues of other regions. Beijing and Moscow represent an important pillar for maintaining regional peace and stability.
Song Zhongping
