Russia joins forces with China in largest war games since Soviet era

Source: The Telegraph U.K.

Russia began its largest war games since the Cold War on Tuesday, drilling hundreds of thousands of troops alongside forces from its growing ally China. With 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 vehicles, 1,000 aircraft and 80 ships, the Vostok exercises in eastern Russia will be even bigger than the Zapad training conducted by the Soviet Union in 1981, according to the defence minister. They will last five days and take place across nine training grounds, the Sea of Japan and the Bering Strait.

Vostok, however, is not only a display of Russia's fighting power, but also a promotion of its warming ties with eastern neighbour and former foe China. Xi Jinping will meet with Vladimir Putin this week at the eastern economic forum in Vladivostok. The Russian president is also expected to make an appearance at the Vostok manoeuvres.

The unprecedented manoeuvres are being seen as a warning to Washington not to further strain relations with Russia or provoke it militarily. “It's clear that such efforts can be directed at only one country, and that's United States, because they're so massive,” said Vasily Kashin, an expert in Russia-China relations at the Higher School of Economics.

“At this moment Russia and China both see the United States as the main potential military adversary.” In light of successive waves of US sanctions against Russia and Donald Trump's trade war with China, America is now the main political adversary for both countries as well. They have frequently voted together against US resolutions in the United Nations security council in recent years, and Russia has increasingly sought Chinese credit and investment after being cut off from US financing.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/11/russia-holds-largest-war-games-since-soviet-era/