China sends troops and tanks to Russia ahead of next month’s military games
- They were transported by train from Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia to Zabaikalsk in Russia’s Far East, according to state television
- Events will be held across 12 countries including China and Venezuela amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West
A train carrying personnel, military tanks and vehicles recently left Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia in China’s north, headed to Zabaikalsk in Russia’s Far East, the military channel of state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday, without giving further details.
The Chinese team is expected to compete against counterparts from 37 countries and regions at the event – Russia’s largest multinational military exercise. It will take place between August 13 and 27 across 12 countries, including Russia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Venezuela – which broke off relations with the United States in 2019 after President Nicolas Maduro assumed a second term in an election that Washington considered a “sham” – is to host a sniper competition as part of the war games.
It will be the first time the Russian-led exercise has been held in the western hemisphere. That could be a “strategic move” for China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela “to preposition forward-deployed military assets in Latin America and the Caribbean”, the Centre for a Secure Free Society, a Washington-based think tank, said in a recent report.
Meanwhile, Niger and Rwanda will be the first African countries to make their debut at the games, according to the Russian defence ministry.