Beijing: Chinese and Russian military forces are involved in joint training in Northwestern China as a growing bond between two autocratic countries amid uncertainty in Afghanistan.
Exercises involving land forces and air forces will continue until Friday in the autonomous region of Ningxia Hui.
The region borders Xinjiang, where China has held more than 1 million Uyghur and other Muslim minority members in what is called a campaign against terrorism and extremism.
Xinjiang shared a narrow border with Afghanistan, and Beijing worried about the violence that spilled its border if the Taliban took control in the country after withdrawing US troops.
Although not part of the formal alliance, Russia and China have aligned most of their military and foreign policies in opposition to the US and its allies.
The official Xinhua news agency said the exercise began Monday and was led by Li Zuocheng, a member of the military commission of the United Communist Party.
This exercise aims to “deepen the joint anti-terrorism operations between the Chinese and Russian military and show strong determination and strength of the two countries to jointly maintain international and regional security and regional stability,” Xinhua said, quoting Chinese and Russian officials.
“This reflects the new altitude of China-Russia’s comprehensive strategic partnership about new coordination for new era and from mutual trust strategies, pragmatic exchanges and coordination between the two countries,” Xinhua said.