Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that Russia and China will conduct joint military exercises later this year, further strengthening the growing strategic partnership between the two nations.
Speaking during a meeting with military officials, Putin stated, “We will conduct military drills with China this year,” referring to continued implementation of the 2021–2025 military cooperation roadmap, signed by then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.
While specific details of the upcoming exercises have not yet been disclosed, analysts expect the drills to focus on interoperability and strategic deterrence, mirroring the structure of previous land and naval exercises held by the two powers.
Since the launch of Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine in 2022—and its subsequent diplomatic and economic isolation from the West—Moscow and Beijing have significantly deepened their strategic alignment. Both countries have described their evolving alliance as one with “no limits.”
Their current trajectory began on February 4, 2022, when Presidents Putin and Xi Jinping signed a sweeping joint declaration during the Beijing Winter Olympics titled “Joint Statement on International Relations Entering a New Era and Global Sustainable Development.” The agreement emphasized a shared vision for a multipolar world and served as a cornerstone for challenging Western geopolitical dominance.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, China notably refused to impose sanctions on Russia, despite pressure from Western nations. In return, Russia has voiced strong support for China’s position on Taiwan, marking a new era of mutual backing on core security concerns.
Between 2022 and 2024, Russia and China have held at least 20 joint military exercises across land, air, and sea domains. Eleven of these took place in 2024 alone—more than the combined total for 2022 and 2023.
In March, the two countries participated in a trilateral naval exercise with Iran near the port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman as part of the “Security Belt 2025” drills.
This intensifying military cooperation underscores what many observers consider the foundation of any potential resistance to Western hegemony in Eurasia. Analysts in both Moscow and Beijing have drawn lessons from the Cold War-era Sino-Soviet split, widely believed to have contributed to the Soviet Union’s collapse. Both sides now appear committed to avoiding a repeat of that strategic rift.