PLA Troops Reach Russia For Vostok 2022; Chinese Media Tells West Not To 'Overinterpret' Drills

For the first time, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent all three of its forces to Russia for Vostok-2022, a week-long joint drill set to start on Aug. 30. According to a Chinese military spokesperson, the PLA ground and air forces had already arrived at the designated drill region while the naval troops met with Russian warships at sea.

The drill is part of the annual China-Russia military cooperation plan, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of National Defense, was quoted by Global Times. Besides China, India, Belarus, Tajikistan and Mongolia have also sent troops for the exercise.

"The Chinese armed forces' participation in the Vostok-2022 exercise aims to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the militaries of other participating countries, enhance the level of strategic coordination and strengthen the ability to deal with various security threats," Tan added.

The drill comes when Russia has been fighting a fierce battle in Ukraine. According to western experts, through Vostok-2022, Russia wants to convey that it remains focused on defending its territory and is capable of sustaining "business as usual".

"A lot of troops and gear from the eastern MD (military district) have already been deployed, rotated, lost and killed in Ukraine since February, so this will be interesting to see what they can salvage," Mathieu Boulegue, a military specialist at London's Chatham House think-tank, was quoted by Reuters.

However, Chinese experts believe the drills have nothing to do with the current international and regional situations. Zhang Xuefeng, a Beijing-based Chinese military expert, told the Global Times that the West should not overinterpret the drills.

"China's participation in the drills shows that the Chinese military can decide when to hold what kind of exercises with whom, based on its own security needs and training arrangements, regardless of interferences from the external situations," Zhang added.

Beijing's analysts also think the drills reflect the continued deepening of China-Russia military cooperation. "China and Russia will learn from each other, as both militaries have their own advantages," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times.

He added that the military cooperation between China and Russia will contribute to peace and stability in the region, deterrence buildups against external forces with evil intents and the fight against hegemony and power politics.