- Oct 9, 1999
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Russia and China to Hold Joint Maneuvers
2 hours, 19 minutes ago World - AP
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW - Once-bitter rivals Russia and China will hold a massive joint military exercise on Chinese territory next year involving submarines and possibly strategic bombers, Russia's defense minister said Monday as the two nations move to bolster already burgeoning military ties.
Many observers saw the announcement as Russia's response to a spat with the United States and other Western nations over the disputed election in Ukraine, Russia's neighbor, where the Kremlin-backed candidate trailed a pro-Western politician in near-final results.
"For the first time in history, we have agreed to hold quite a large military exercise together with China on Chinese territory in the second half of the year," Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said at a Cabinet session chaired by President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites), according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.
"The Russian side will not bring big numbers of servicemen, but mostly state-of-the art weapons ? navy, air, long-range aviation, submarines ? to practice interaction with China in different forms of military maneuvers."
After decades of rivalry, Moscow and Beijing have developed what they call a strategic partnership since the Soviet collapse. China has become the No. 1 customer for Russia's struggling defense industry, purchasing billions of dollars worth of fighters, missiles, submarines and destroyers.
Officials with Russia's state arms-trading company, Rosoboronexport, said last week that China was expected to sign new contracts next year to purchase Russia's most advanced fighter jets.
Both nations frequently have spoken about their adherence to a "multipolar world," a term that refers to their opposition to a perceived U.S. domination in global affairs.
Putin and other Russian officials allege that the United States improperly influenced Ukraine's elections by funding democracy-building organizations. A Nov. 21 ballot in which the pro-Kremlin candidate was declared the winner was later annulled after allegations of widespread fraud and amid massive public protests.
Russia staunchly backed Ukraine Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential contest, fearing that his rival, Viktor Yushchenko, would bring the nation closer to the West and away from the Russian orbit. Yushchenko was leading comfortably late Monday with nearly all the results counted.
Some observers have speculated that Russia could respond to the falling out with the West over Ukraine's presidential election by trying to forge a closer partnership with China and India, the second-biggest customer of Russia's military industrial complex.
During his visit to India earlier this month, Putin pushed for a trilateral summit with leaders of India and China and assailed U.S. "dictatorship of international affairs."
Andrei Piontkovsky, the head of the Center for Strategic Studies, said Putin wanted to vent his anger at the West by staging the Russian-Chinese military exercise.
Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor of Russia in Global Affairs Magazine, also described the maneuvers as a gesture aimed at the West.
"It's a response to a series of political defeats Russia has suffered, most recently in Ukraine," Lukyanov told The Associated Press. "It's a reminder that Russia is still a great military power."
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