Russia: Joint exercises with China will be held regularly
Beijing sent 3,000 troops to take part in Vostok-2018 (East-2018) military exercises.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that Moscow and Beijing plan to hold regular joint military exercises, similar to the exercises that are held this week.
On Wednesday, Shoygu and his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe visited Tsugol training range in eastern Siberia, where joint military exercises with 300,000 Russian and 3,200 Chinese soldiers are held.
The weekly military exercises Vostok-2018 were launched on Tuesday and cover a vast territory in Siberia and the Far East, as well as in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. The exercises involved 1,000 units of Russian aviation and 36,000 tanks.
China sent to Tsugol 900 units of military transport and 30 units of aviation. China's active participation in the exercises reflects the shift in the country's policy towards a full-fledged military alliance with Russia amid tensions in relations with the United States. Servicemen from Mongolia also take part in the exercises.