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China is sending troops from a unit involved in border clashes with India for a multilateral navy train in Russia later this month, from which New Delhi had withdrawn.
Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, Belarus and Armenia are amongst nations taking part in the Kavkaz-2020 (or Caucasus 2020) strategic navy drills to be held in Russia’s Astrakhan area on September 21-26, China’s defence ministry mentioned in an announcement on Thursday.
The western theatre command (WAC), the unit of People’s Liberation Army involved in the continuing border friction with India, might be sending troops for the drills, which the ministry mentioned “are not aimed at any third party and are not related to the regional situation,” probably referring to the China-India tensions.
Late final month, India opted out of Kavkaz-2020 due to Covid-19 and consequent difficulties.
“There is a decision not to take part in contact exercises in view of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to ensure the safety of our troops,” officers had informed Hindustan Times in New Delhi.
The anticipated presence in the train of troops from South Ossetia and Abkhazia, states that aren’t recognised by India, in Kavkaz-2020 was additionally an element in the choice, one of many officers who wished to stay nameless had informed HT.
With China saying it’s sending WAC troopers to the drill, New Delhi has probably averted a clumsy state of affairs by already pulling out.
“The Chinese forces will mainly consist of troops from the PLA Western Theatre Command, which will carry wheeled equipment and light arms and arrive in Russia via China’s latest transport aircraft,” the defence ministry assertion added.
They will be a part of workout routines together with mobilised defensive elimination, joint live-fire strike, multidimensional assault elimination and battlefield state of affairs management.
The workout routines have particular which means for China-Russia ties “at this important moment when the whole world is fighting the pandemic,” the ministry mentioned.
Chinese state media questioned India’s withdrawal and speculated about the actual cause for doing so.
One state media international analyst mentioned the pandemic can’t be the actual cause.
“That theory, however, ignores the fact that India was able to move many times that number of troops around the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China all throughout the summer, so it’s unrealistic to imagine that it can’t fly a few hundred out to Russia for friendly drills,” Andrew Korybko, a Moscow-based American political analyst wrote for the CGTN, China’s official English information channel.
For Beijing and Russia, which have a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, the upcoming drills might be one other alternative to strengthen ties.
The two powers have cooperated carefully on navy issues and diplomacy, largely to counter US affect. China has often joined Russia’s large-scale drills, the Tsentr-2019 and Vostok-2018.
In July 2019, their troops carried out the primary joint strategic patrol in northeast Asia, with the Chinese facet dispatching two H-6K bombers and the Russian facet dispatching two Tu-95 bombers.
“In November and December 2019, the two countries also conducted naval drills in South Africa and the Gulf of Oman with South Africa and Iran respectively. In June, PLA honour guards participated in Russia’s Victory Day military parade in Moscow’s Red Square,” Chinese state media reported.
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