Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises that will start at the end of the month, Beijing’s defence ministry has said.
Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” (East) military drills from August 30 to September 5, saying some foreign forces would also take part without naming them.
China’s participation in the joint exercises was “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”, the ministry said.
China’s defence ministry said its participation in the exercises was part of a bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia.
India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries will also participate.
Relations between Russia and China have grown increasingly close under Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Beijing has been under pressure for its opposition to sanctions imposed by many Western countries over the war.
Before Russia’s 24 February invasion of Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow announced a “no limits” partnership, although US officials say they have not seen China evade US-led sanctions on Russia or provide it with military equipment.
By Sohan Vipulananda
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