China’s elite troops head to Russia for massive Vostok 2018 war games
PLA troops will put their combat-readiness to the test in Moscow’s biggest military exercises since the Soviet era
The Chinese military will send about 3,200 troops to take part in Russia’s biggest war games in more than 35 years, putting their combat-readiness to the test after a massive overhaul of the People’s Liberation Army.
The troops, equipped with an array of weaponry including 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, will participate in the Vostok 2018 exercises in the Tsugol training range in Russia’s Far East Trans-Baikal region later this month, China’s defence ministry said.
The ministry said that the involvement was meant to strengthen cooperation between the two armed forces and improve their ability to deal jointly with security threats.
Military personnel from Mongolia were also invited to take part, the Russian news agency Sputnik said.
Hong Kong-based military expert Song Zhongping said that the Chinese troops were elite forces from the Northern Theatre Command and would be exposed to a range of conditions.