Russia-China military ties will deepen

Significance

This follows Chinese troops' participation in Moscow's May Victory Day event. With Russia's ties with the West currently at their lowest since the end of the Cold War as a result of the Ukraine crisis and cooperation with NATO having suffered, the Kremlin's military relationship with China is taking on new significance. This year has seen Moscow and Beijing conduct their first joint Mediterranean Sea drills and further drills are planned in August. Russia and China now engage in at least one major joint ground force and one major bilateral naval exercise annually.

Impacts

• Putin will use Beijing's military parade as a public relations exercise to demonstrate again that he has powerful international allies.
• In the long term, despite warming ties, China's increasingly sophisticated defence industry may start to challenge Russian defence sales.
• The Mediterranean and Sea of Japan drills are strategically chosen to catch the eyes of NATO and Japan.