Chinese and Russian marines
on May 20, 2015 during exercise Joint Sea 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea
(photo by Xinhua news agency)
Russia and China are to hold
their first ever computer-assisted joint military exercise to improve
cooperation and coordination between their militaries.
The
joint computer-assisted anti-missile drill will be staged later in May
at a military research center in Russia, the official English-language China Daily cited a source at China’s Defense Ministry as saying on Thursday.
The
drill is designed to help the two countries’ militaries familiarize
themselves with their respective command structures and data
transmission processes.
Chinese and Russian soldiers participate in Peace Mission 2013 exercises. (Photo by mil.ru)The
joint regional drill comes as the Asia-Pacific region is the scene of
tensions over several issues, chief among them the military presence of
the extra-regional forces from the United States.
Most recently,
the US and South Korea have discussed the deployment of a missile system
in the South to counter perceived threats from North Korea.
China
and Russia are concerned about US military activities in the region and
have in particular warned Washington and Seoul to drop the plan for the
deployment of the missile system.
Speaking at a joint press
briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week, Chinese
Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the US to respect the “legitimate
concerns” of China and Russia over the missile system.
China and Russia regard the US military presence in the region as unjustified and a potential security threat.
