[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russia and China announced that they will hold joint military exercises at the end of this month, hosted by Russia in the Northeast Asia region, drawing attention to the background. In particular, India is also expected to participate in this exercise, raising concerns among the United States and the West. With the Ukraine war and the escalating Taiwan Strait crisis, the announcement of military exercises by China and Russia is feared to further increase military tensions in the Northeast Asia region.
According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 17th (local time), the Chinese military will participate in Russia's 'Vostok (East)-2022' joint military exercises, which will take place from the 30th of this month to September 5th. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense stated the day before, "The goal is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the participating countries' militaries, raise the level of strategic cooperation, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats," emphasizing, "Participation in this joint exercise has no relation to the current international or regional situation."
Russia has not yet disclosed the exact participating countries, but according to major foreign media, the exercise is expected to include Russia, China, India, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. This is the first large-scale exercise hosted by Russia in the Northeast Asia region since 2018.
The scale of this exercise has not been precisely revealed yet, but it is expected to match the scale of the 2018 exercise. During the 2018 Vostok exercise, more than 300,000 troops from China and Russia, over 36,000 combat vehicles, and around 1,000 military aircraft participated, which caused tension among neighboring countries.
China and Russia emphasize that this exercise is unrelated to international issues such as the Ukraine war and the Taiwan crisis, but it is presumed that the main purpose is to showcase the solidarity and military power of the two countries to the United States and the West. Especially with India's participation, a member of the Quad, a military consultation body aimed at countering China, concerns are growing among some in the United States and the West.
The U.S. government is downplaying the significance of India's participation while showing caution. Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said at a press briefing that "most of the countries involved in this exercise regularly participate in military exercises with the United States," minimizing its significance. However, he warned, "The main issue in this exercise is that the security relationship between China and Russia, including their security domains, is rapidly growing."
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