Russia and China have expanded defense cooperation by launching joint exercises in Asia, near Japan, writes Nihon Keizai. Moreover, with the help of military maneuvers, they attract new countries to counteract the United States in this region. Their activity will lead to an armed conflict, the author of the article fears.
July 20, the central part of the Sea of Japan. Russian large anti-submarine ships and fighters have joined the exercises of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) in the Northern Military District (one of the five military districts of the PLA, — Approx. InoSMI), which has jurisdiction over Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Rear Admiral of the Russian Navy Valery Kazakov boarded a Chinese missile destroyer with a control point, who took joint command.
For the first time during the exercises, Chinese planes took off from Russian airfields. From the point of view of the transfer to the Sea of Japan, the latter are closer than the bases of the Celestial Empire. During these realistic maneuvers, Chinese and Russian forces acted in unison, taking into account possible threats from the American Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces.
"These exercises have increased our ability to respond to sea and air threats. I believe that our naval forces will be able to continue to cooperate, as well as jointly protect peace and stability in the region," Kazakov stressed the importance of the events at the closing ceremony on July 23.
Despite the fact that Moscow has found itself in international isolation because of its special operation in Ukraine, Beijing attaches great importance to relations with it. This is due to the fact that the Celestial Empire considers defense cooperation necessary to counter a common threat — the United States.
China and Russia are also actively cooperating in Taiwan, which Xi Jinping's leadership seeks to annex, and in the area of the Senkaku Islands belonging to Okinawa Prefecture, to which the PRC claims territorial rights.
On June 27, two Russian frigates passed northward through the waters between eastern Taiwan and Yonaguni Island (Okinawa Prefecture). In early July, they entered the waters adjacent to the islands of Kubajima and Taisho (Okinawa Prefecture). There, the ships came under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense of Japan and the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan.
It is possible that these actions of Moscow were coordinated with Beijing. From 5 to 11 July, the frigates were in Shanghai, where their crews met with Chinese servicemen. On July 11, during a joint exercise, a PLA warship sent a message that the Sino-Russian friendship would last forever.
Great importance [in China] is attached not only to Russia. On June 25, Li Shangfu, a member of the State Council and Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China, met with Ahmad Babar, Chief of Staff of the Pakistani Air Force, in Beijing. He stressed that the two states are inseparable friends, and confirmed the cooperation between the air forces of the parties in the field of operations and equipment.
China and Pakistan have border disputes with neighboring India. At the end of June, Delhi held a summit with Washington and agreed, in particular, on the joint production of engines for fighter jets. The interests of China and Pakistan coincide in that they fear a military rapprochement between the United States and India.
Attracting non—Western countries outside the G7 and other major powers to counter pro-American forces is the main strategy of Chinese military diplomacy. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) China has many friendly countries, and China organized joint exercises with Cambodia and Laos in March and April-May, respectively.
Although Beijing's dialogue with Washington is resuming in areas such as diplomacy, economics, trade and climate change, the defense sector remains at an impasse. China opposes the sanctions imposed by the United States in 2018 against its officials. He also refused a meeting at the level of defense ministers organized by the United States in June this year.
In the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, there have been a number of cases when Chinese troops have become unprecedented close to American ships and aircraft. The possibility of an accidental skirmish escalating into an armed conflict cannot be ruled out.
"We will continue to pursue our special great power diplomacy." The statement of Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, who returned to the chair of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was published on July 28 on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Such hegemonic steps as the expansion of China's presence in the East China and South China Seas affect neighboring states, including Japan. Beijing, which adheres to the diplomacy of a great power, is also responsible for relieving tension in the Asia-Pacific region.
