India, China troops to take part in Russia war games
The Hindu
Participation of India, China in Vostok (East) 2022 exercises comes amid ongoing border tensions in Eastern Ladakh
China’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops will travel to Russia to take part in war games along with India, Tajikistan, Mongolia, and other countries, set to be held later this month.
The Vostok (East) 2022 exercises, the first major such exercises to be hosted by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February, will take place from August 30 to September 5 in 13 training grounds in Russia’s Eastern Military District, the Russian Defence Ministry said last month.
China’s Defence Ministry, in a statement, confirmed it will send troops to participate in the exercise, adding that “India, Belarus, Tajikistan, Mongolia, and other countries will also participate”.
It remains unclear if Indian and Chinese troops will be present together or if they will participate in different drills, which will be spread across 13 different training grounds.
Indian and Chinese troops have remained in a stand-off that has lasted for more than two years along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh following the transgressions by the PLA in April 2020. Disengagement has taken place in some areas along the LAC but talks to restore the status quo in the remaining friction areas such as Hot Springs, Demchok, and Depsang have been slow moving.
The Chinese Defence Ministry statement added, presumably referring to the geopolitical situation post the invasion of Ukraine, that the exercises were “unrelated to the current international and regional situation” and were aimed at “deepening the pragmatic and friendly cooperation with the militaries of participating countries, enhancing the level of strategic coordination of all participating parties, and enhancing the ability to deal with various security threats”.
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