Ukraine war could deepen China-Russia military ties, Japan defence white paper says

The annual report said a stronger security collaboration between Beijing and Moscow could make for a ‘direct impact’ on the security environment surrounding Japan

It also expressed concerns about Taiwan, saying since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the island has been working on further strengthening its self-defence efforts

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Troops disembark from a helicopter during a Sino-Russian joint military exercise in northwest China in 2021. File photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP

Published: 10:45am, 22 Jul 2022

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine may lead to stronger military ties between China and Russia, the Japanese government said in an annual defence report released on Friday, as Moscow’s rift with Western nations over the war deepens.

“For Russia, which is internationally isolated and has worn out its ground forces due to the aggression against Ukraine, the importance of political and military cooperation with China could increase,” the defence ministry white paper said in a new chapter focused on that issue.

It is necessary to “monitor with concern the possibility that China-Russia military collaboration would deepen,” the report said, adding that such a move could make for a “direct impact” on the security environment surrounding Japan.

The first report under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government came amid confrontation between Russia and the Group of Seven developed nations including Japan, with the war showing no signs of abating despite US-led economic sanctions on Moscow, which China has not joined.

Beijing and Moscow have continued to take concerted actions even after the launch of the Russian invasion of the former Soviet republic in late February, such as a joint flight of their bombers over the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea and the Pacific in late May.