China's Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that Chinese and Russian navies will conduct joint exercises in the waters and airspace off the Chinese city of Qingdao this month.
" Following the conclusion of the exercises, some forces from both sides will head to certain areas in the Pacific Ocean to conduct joint maritime patrols," the ministry said in a statement.
The exercises are held annually "with the aim of jointly addressing security challenges and maintaining peace and stability in the region", the ministry added.
On May 20, the Chinese and Russian presidents agreed to extend the China-Russia Treaty on Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, and signed a joint statement on strengthening comprehensive strategic coordination and further deepening good-neighborly relations and friendly cooperation between the two countries.
More than a week ago, China's Defense Ministry said Chinese and Russian air forces carried out a "strategic air patrol" over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the western Pacific, "to demonstrate their determination and ability to maintain peace and stability in the region."
Secret documents reveal biological and nuclear drills
Confidential Russian military documents obtained by Reuters have revealed details of a secret military training conducted by China for Russian forces late last year, which received direct personal approval from Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov through an internal decree issued in August 2025. The documents showed that the course lasted for three weeks at a military facility in Beijing and focused on ways to protect against radiational, chemical and biological hazards, where members of the Russian military were trained on simulated samples of nuclear reactors, radiation reconnaissance systems, and network protection Ventilation from tactical pollution.
According to European intelligence reports, the joint exercises witnessed a high-level presence and coordination, with the Russian delegation led by Colonel General Rustam Muradov, deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces, with the participation of three other Russian generals, while on the Chinese side, General Li Jinsoon, head of the Military Academy of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense, participated.
The sources pointed out that the involvement of military commanders of this weight reflects the great strategic importance that Moscow and Beijing attach to this cooperation related to the development of combat skills, which has raised great concern in Western capitals.
The Russian side praised the level of advanced Chinese equipment, the use of advanced simulators, and the high theoretical knowledge of Chinese trainers, but the report pointed out that Beijing's military lacks actual field combat experience because it has not fought real wars for decades, unlike Russian forces, which have accumulated extensive field experience due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Diplomatic debate and EU consider response
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaia Kallas, confirmed that the bloc has confirmed through its own channels that Beijing has trained about 200 members of the Russian military, some of whom later joined the frontlines in Ukraine, describing China as a "decisive factor in enabling Russia's war."
On the other hand, the Chinese Foreign Ministry, through its spokesperson Lin Jian, denied the news in full and in detail, describing it as baseless smear campaigns targeting the Chinese position that adopts neutrality and seeks mediation, at a time when closed European discussions are taking place to discuss imposing additional sanctions on Chinese companies involved in supporting the Russian war effort.
EU considers its option
European powers are cautiously watching the growing rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing, the world's second-largest economy and the EU's main trading partner. European countries have considered Russia their main security threat since their invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Discussions within the 27-nation bloc are behind closed doors about whether additional measures should be taken in response to the drills, given the priority of trade considerations that usually shape relations with China.
The European Union has already imposed sanctions on Chinese companies that it says support Russia's war effort.
Reuters quoted a European official in Brussels as saying the EU should not focus on China only from an economic point of view, but should heed Callas's statement that China has become a "decisive enabler of Russia's war."
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