BEIJING: China’s defense minister, Li Shangfu, expressed his desire to enhance naval cooperation with Russia during a meeting with Nikolai Yevmenov, the head of the Russian navy, marking the highest-level public talks between military officials from the two countries since a recent mutiny attempt in Russia.
According to a readout from the Chinese defense ministry, Li emphasized the need to “strengthen communication at all levels” and proposed organizing joint exercises, joint cruises, and joint military skills competitions. He also highlighted the importance of expanding practical cooperation in professional fields.
Li stated that China and Russia should work together to make positive contributions to regional and global peace and stability. Yevmenov, in agreement with Li, emphasized the importance of expanding exchanges between the two countries’ navies at all levels and taking the relationship between their militaries to new heights, as reported by Beijing’s readout of the meeting.
Military Cooperation Between Russia and China
These talks mark a significant development in military cooperation between China and Russia since the failed mutiny led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, against Russia’s top military leadership—an incident that caused considerable embarrassment for the Kremlin. While China supported Russia in protecting national stability following the mutiny, Chinese President Xi Jinping has not held public talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the incident.
China has positioned itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, but its refusal to condemn Moscow and its close ties with Russia have drawn criticism from Western countries. Nonetheless, China and Russia have been strengthening their economic cooperation and diplomatic ties in recent years, with their strategic partnership deepening further since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Joint military drills are a common occurrence between the two countries.
Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of Russia’s armed forces, recently stated that the strong military partnership between Russia and China contributes to global stability. The expansion of naval cooperation discussed in the high-level talks indicates a continued effort to deepen the ties between the two nations.
