Vikrant Shekhawat : Sep 12, 2024, 06:30 AM
China-Russia Friendship: China and Russia have recently started joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan, which is considered to be the largest military drill of the last three decades. The name of this exercise is 'Northern United-2024' and it will be done in the Sea of Japan as well as the Sea of Okhotsk in the north.Structure and objective of the exerciseThe Chinese Defense Ministry informed about this major military exercise that this drill is designed to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries and to jointly counter security threats. It includes more than 400 warships, submarines and support vessels. This drill comes under 'Ocean-2024' announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and will run till September 16.Announcing this joint naval and air exercise, China said that the navies of both the countries will travel together in the Pacific Ocean and join Russia's 'Great Ocean-24' exercise. Through this exercise, China and Russia are demonstrating their military power and strategic capabilities.Growing concern for JapanThis joint military exercise of China and Russia has raised concerns for Japan. Japan's Defense Ministry said that they recently saw 5 Chinese naval ships moving northeast from the Tsushima Strait towards the Sea of Japan. The Tsushima Strait is located between South Korea and Japan and connects the South China Sea and the Sea of Japan, although it does not fall within Japan's territorial waters.Japan's defense forces have monitored these ships and released their pictures. This tension has increased further due to Japan's territorial disputes with China and Russia. Japan has a dispute over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and with Russia over the Kuril Islands between Hokkaido and Kamchatka. This is the reason why the presence of the navies of China and Russia close to Japan's water area has further increased Japan's concerns.Russia-Ukraine War and China-Russia RelationsSince the Russia-Ukraine War, China has strengthened its ties with Russia even more. China has extended its support to Russia, while Japan has joined the US and other allies in sanctions against Russia. As a result, relations between Japan and China have deteriorated sharply.China has not only provided political and diplomatic support to Russia but also helped it economically. China has played an important role in helping Russia overcome sanctions. In the past two years, China has purchased record amounts of oil and gas from Russia. In 2021, China imported $80 billion from Russia, which increased to around $115 billion in 2022 and the figure reached $129 billion in 2023.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently claimed that even though China is not sending weapons to Russia, it is providing the equipment needed to make increasingly lethal weapons. According to Blinken, Russia is importing 70 percent of its machine tools and 90 percent of microelectronics from China. Despite such assistance, the US has imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies, but this has not affected the friendship between China and Russia.ConclusionThe joint military exercise of China and Russia is not only important from a military point of view, but it also marks a turning point in global geopolitics. While raising Japan's security concerns, this exercise could be an indication of how global powers are working together to further strengthen their strategic position. In the times to come, it will be interesting to see what impact this exercise has on regional and global security.