China is aiming for ‘a new level’ of military ties with Russia, Beijing says

China reaffirmed its military ties with Russia and called on the two countries to take their defense relations to “a new level” at a meeting today.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu told the head of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, that Beijing hopes for more exchanges, joint exercises and other forms of cooperation, according to a release from his ministry.

The pair met in Beijing for the first formal military talks between the friendly neighbors since a short-lived mutiny by the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which analysts say weakened Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position.

“The Chinese and Russian navies have close contacts and frequent interactions,” the ministry quoted Mr Li as saying.

“It is hoped that the two sides will strengthen communication at all levels, organize regular joint training, joint patrols and joint war games.”

Yevmenov said the two countries should “continue to expand exchanges at all levels of the navies of the two countries” and “constantly take the relationship between the two armies to new heights,” the Beijing reading said.

China operates the world’s largest navy by number of hulls, vastly surpassing the Russian Navy in both size and technical capability.

The countries’ fleets have held a series of exercises and joint maneuvers since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, as have their air forces.

The military cooperation embodies the informal alliance of the Chinese and Russian governments to oppose the US-led liberal world order.

They align their foreign policies and positions with the United Nations, where Beijing has consistently provided diplomatic cover for Moscow.

Although it claims to be neutral in the war in Ukraine, China has sided firmly with Russia, accusing the US and NATO of provoking Moscow and fueling the bloodshed by helping to arm Ukraine.

China has refused to condemn the invasion or refer to it as one out of deference to Moscow, but has also said it will not provide Russia with military aid or weapons for the conflict.

Since the failed uprising led by Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, China has said it supports Russian efforts to “stabilize the situation in the country.”

The march on Moscow that Mr Prigozhin launched and then turned down last month represented the biggest challenge of Putin’s two decades in power.

Beijing said it supported Russia in “protecting national stability” after the mutiny, but leader Xi Jinping has yet to hold public talks with Putin about the incident.

Russian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov said last month that his country’s strong military partnership with China has brought stability around the world.

Prigozhin called on Gerasimov to resign or be fired when he launched his mutiny on 23 June. It is clear that Gerasimov remains at his post, although he has not been seen in public since the failed uprising.

Due to recent developments, Russia has largely become the junior partner in the relationship with China. War-related sanctions have made Russia’s economy heavily dependent on energy purchases from China and India.

Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will meet on Tuesday at a virtual summit, the Russian leader’s first multilateral meeting since the Wagner uprising.

The summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, a security group founded by Russia and China to counter Western alliances from East Asia to the Indian Ocean, is a clear indication that Putin still enjoys some support.