MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday lauded the “very high level” of military exercises in the Pacific as Moscow seeks closer relations with China amid a stand-off with the West, and a key Chinese official is visiting Moscow.
The surprise exercises announced last week come as Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu is visiting Russia on a trip until Wednesday.
Putin received President Xi Jinping in Moscow last month for a summit showing the countries’ united front against the West.
During a meeting with Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Sunday, Li lauded ties with Moscow, saying these relations surpass the military-political alliances of the Cold War period.
The drills in the Pacific involved more than 25,000 Russian troops, 167 warships and support boats, including twelve submarines and 89 helicopters and aircraft, Shoigu said.
Shoigu’s visit
In his meeting with Shoigu, Putin said that the first phase of this surprise inspection undoubtedly takes place at a very high level.
He said that today both nations have clear priorities for using armed troops. Above all, this concerns the Ukrainian direction and everything relevant to protecting the Russian people in the Donbas, in eastern Ukraine.
China and Russia have expressed concerns over the military alliance NATO’s growing presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Western countries imposed strict sanctions on it- banning the oil imports and exports of hi-tech products.
Many Western companies cut their connections with Russia, and trade with the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union countries slumped greatly.
However, China’s trade with Russia hit a record high level of 190 billion dollars in 2022 – a 30 percent increase from the previous year.
Russian imports from China increased by 13 percent to 76 billion dollars, and its exports to China increased by 43 percent to 114 billion dollars.
As Russia’s trade with Western nations plunged in 2022, China became its most important trading partner.
