China, Russia Carried Out Record High Military Drills in 2022: Report

A group of naval vessels from Russia and China conduct a joint maritime military patrol in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in this still image taken from video released on Oct. 23, 2021. (Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters)

China and Russia conducted joint military drills in 2022 on a larger scale than they did two decades ago, according to a Bloomberg report on July 15, raising concerns about a potential escalation of tensions.

The two countries held six joint military drills last year, the highest number tracked in the past 20 years, Bloomberg reported, citing data during that time frame from the U.S. National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs.

The number represented two-thirds of China’s total military drills with foreign armed forces in 2022, mostly taking place after Russia launched a full-fledged war on Ukraine.

Two of these joint drills involved the armed forces of Syria and Iran, according to the report.

On July 16, China’s Defense Ministry stated that a Chinese naval flotilla made up of five warships and four ship-borne helicopters departed to join Russian naval and air forces in the Sea of Japan for military drills.

Warships sail in the Sea of Oman during the second day of joint Iran, Russia, and China naval war games on Dec. 28, 2019. (Iranian Army via AP)

Two Russian warships taking part in the drill had earlier this month conducted separate training with the Chinese navy in Shanghai on formation movements, communication, and sea rescues.

Before making port at the financial hub of Shanghai, the same ships had sailed past Taiwan and Japan, prompting both Taipei and Tokyo to monitor the Russian warships.

‘A New Era of Crisis’

Japan had expressed alarm over China’s military cooperation with Russia in its draft annual defense report, claiming that Beijing and Moscow carried out five joint bomber flights near the country since 2019.

The paper warns that the international community has entered “a new era of crisis” amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which it states has disrupted the international order spanning Europe and Asia.

“Russia appears to have suffered substantial damage to its conventional military forces, raising the possibility that its national strength may decline over the medium to long term and the military balance with neighboring countries may change,” it reads.

The Kremlin and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) declared a “no limits” partnership just days before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The CCP has since refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, citing Russia’s “legitimate concerns on security issues” as justification.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on March 20, 2023. (Sergei Karpukhin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

According to their joint statement, Russia will recognize Taiwan as “an inalienable part of China” and reject Taiwan’s independence “in any form,” while the CCP backs Russia’s opposition to the enlargement of NATO.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has fueled speculation that CCP leader Xi Jinping would follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s lead by deciding to invade Taiwan. In January, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu warned that the Chinese regime is “more likely” to make a military move against the island in 2027.

On July 6, Mr. Xi inspected the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, which is responsible for operations in areas such as the Taiwan Strait, and urged the military to “deepen war and combat planning” to increase the chances of victory in actual combat.

CIA Director William Burns said in February that China represents the “biggest geopolitical challenge” to the United States and that global competition with the CCP could be “more intense” than it was with the Soviet Union.

“Competition with China is unique in its scale, and that it really, you know, unfolds over just about every domain, not just military, and ideological, but economic, technological, everything from cyberspace, to space itself as well,” he said at an event at Georgetown University in Washington.

Frank Fang and Reuters contributed to this report.