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Beijing (AP) -China and Russian troops are engaged in joint exercises in northwestern China as relations between the two dictatorships expand amid uncertainty about instability in Afghanistan.
In the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, exercises involving ground forces and the Air Force will continue until Friday.
The region borders the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, and China is detaining more than a million Uighurs and other Muslim minority members in what is called a campaign against terrorism and extremism.
The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region shares a narrow frontier with Afghanistan, and Beijing is concerned that cross-border violence will spill if the Taliban dominate the country following the withdrawal of US troops.
Although not part of a formal alliance, Russia and China have coordinated military and foreign policy, primarily in opposition to the policies of the United States and its allies.
The exercise began on Monday and was presided over by Lee Zuocheng, a member of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Communist Party, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Citing Chinese and Russian officials, Prime Minister Xinhua said, “The firm determination and strength of both countries to deepen joint counter-terrorism operations between Chinese and Russian troops and jointly protect international and regional security and stability. The purpose is to “demonstrate.”
“This reflects the new height of China-Russia’s comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era and strategic mutual trust, practical exchange and coordination between the two countries,” Xinhua said. He said.
Russia supports China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, and Beijing clashed with its common rival, the United States, at a high-level UN Security Council meeting on ocean security on Monday.
China, Taiwan, and ASEAN member states Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have been trapped in increasingly tense territorial conflicts for decades, with overlapping claims in disputed waters. China has recently built seven disputed coral reefs at missile-protected island bases, increasing tensions with rival advocates, along with the United States and its allies.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns that conflicts there and at sea will “have a serious global impact on security and commerce,” in response to China’s increasingly assertive claims for strategic waterways. did.
In this area, “dangerous encounters between vessels at sea and provocative actions to advance illegal maritime claims” were seen, and “other states have legal access to maritime resources.” I’m threatening and bullying, “Blinken said.
China’s deputy ambassador, Dai Bin, accused the United States of becoming “the greatest threat to the peace and stability of the South China Sea,” calling the Security Council “hype” a “totally political motive.” ..
China refused to approve the 2016 International Arbitration Decision, which invalidated most of its claims in the South China Sea.
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