For China and India and other countries, will participate in the "Vostok-2022" joint military exercise hosted by Russia, the US government responded on the 17th that this is the sovereignty decision of the participating countries, and most of the countries participating in the military exercises also regularly hold joint military exercises with the United States, so the United States is not worried about this. What really concerns the United States is Russia's growing military ties with China, Iran and other countries.
China's Ministry of National Defense announced on the 17th that the Chinese People's Liberation Army will soon send some troops to Russia to participate in the "Vostok-2022" exercise. India, Belarus, Tajikistan, Mongolia and other countries will also participate. The U.S. State Department pointed out that most of the countries involved in the military exercises also hold joint military exercises with the United States on a regular basis, so there is no need to over-interpret.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Price:
My understanding is that these joint exercises are also involved in other countries, not just Russia and China. Countries make their own sovereign decisions, and it is absolutely their right to participate in any military exercises. I would like to point out that most of the participating countries also regularly participate in military exercises and exchanges with the United States, so we will not over-interpret it.
For India to join the military exercise, Price said that India does not need to choose a side between the United States and Russia, and India has the right to make sovereign decisions based on its own interests and values. At the same time, the United States also recognizes that many countries have long-term security relations with Russia, which cannot be changed in the short term, but will become a long-term challenge.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Price:
We recognize that some countries in the world have long-term relations with countries such as Russia, including security relations, and that changing a country's foreign policy, security mechanisms, defense procurement, and getting rid of a country like Russia cannot be done overnight, and it is not something that we can accomplish in weeks or even months, which is indeed a long-term challenge.
But Price also pointed out that the United States is concerned about Russia's increasingly close security relations with China, Iran and other countries.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Price:
We've talked openly about some worrying factors because countries like China and Russia have different perceptions of the international order.
It is reported that the Chinese side will send a synthetic motorized infantry battalion composed of more than 700 people to join the exercise array, and Belarus, Mongolia and other countries will also send special operations battalions of about 300 people. China's Ministry of National Defense said that China sent personnel to participate in the exercise only to deepen pragmatic and friendly cooperation with the militaries of the participating countries, improve the level of strategic coordination between the participating parties, and enhance their ability to deal with various security threats, which has nothing to do with the current international and regional situation.
A little more news
What is the background of the Russian "Vostok-2022" strategic military exercise that the People's Liberation Army will participate in?
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on July 26 that the Russian military will hold the "Vostok-2022" Chief Command Strategic Exercise in the Eastern Military Region from August 30 to September 5. Against the backdrop of the deepening conflict between Russia and Ukraine, this exercise has attracted great attention from the world.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the "Vostok-2022" strategic exercise, aimed at ensuring military security in the eastern region, will cover 13 ranges in the Eastern Military Region, two of which are located in the South Kuril Islands (Japan calls the Four Northern Islands).
The statement also said that in addition to the eastern military district troops, airborne troops, strategic rocket troops, long-range bomber fleets and transport aircraft fleets and other countries' armies will participate in the exercise. More than 20 land, sea and air drill areas were set up, and 200,000 soldiers and more than 10,000 weapons and technical equipment participated in the exercise. All active aircraft of the Russian Air Force participated in the event, such as MiG-31, Su-27, Su-30SM, Su-35S and Su-34 fighters, including A-50 long-range early warning aircraft, Tu-95 and Tu-22 strategic bombers, Il-78 tankers, etc., in terms of number and scale, it is also the largest number and scale of the Russian Far East exercises. In the "Vostok-2022" exercise, 70 ships of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet will participate in the exercise, a further increase from the 2014 exercise. It is reported that the Russian strategic nuclear submarine "God of the North Wind" will join the exercise sequence for the first time.
The strategic direction exercise occupies an important position in the Russian military exercise system, and Russia has to hold another theater every year. In the past four years, "Orient-2018", "Central-2019", "Caucasus-2020" and "West-2021" military exercises have been held respectively.
In September 2021, Belarus, India, Pakistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Sri Lanka participated in the "Occidental-2021" military exercise in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. the Chinese People's Liberation Army did not participate in the exercise, but a month earlier, the armed forces of the Russian Federation had participated in the "Western United-2021" exercise in China in early and mid-August, based on the consensus reached between China and Russia. In the three earlier strategic military exercises, the Chinese army participated.
Among them, the "Vostok-2018" strategic exercise is Russia's largest military exercise since the Soviet Union's "Occidental-81" exercise in 1981, with more than 300,000 participants, 36,000 vehicles, more than 1,000 aircraft of various kinds, and nearly 80 ships, which can be called "unprecedented". The Chinese side also participated in the exercise of about 3,200 troops, more than 1,000 weapons and equipment of various types (pieces), and 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
Source: Phoenix Satellite TV Information Station, Global Network
Edit: Mu Mu