Beijing’s Ministry of Defense said Chinese troops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises starting later this month. India, Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan will also be involved in the Vostok military exercise.

Beijing and Moscow have close defence ties and China has said it wants to take bilateral ties to a “higher level” despite Moscow facing international sanctions and widespread condemnation over its February 24 attack on Ukraine.

A statement issued by China’s Ministry of Defense said, “The aim is to strengthen practical and friendly cooperation with the militaries of the participating countries, increase the level of strategic cooperation between the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to deal with various security threats”.

Relations between Russia and China have grown increasingly close under Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and Beijing has come under pressure to oppose sanctions imposed by many Western countries over the war. Beijing said its decision to participate in the joint exercises was “irrelevant to the current international and regional situation”.

A year ago, Russia and China held joint military exercises in north-central China involving more than 10,000 troops. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu praised the exercise conducted in China’s Ningjia and suggested that it could be further developed.

In October, Russia and China held joint naval exercises in the Sea of ​​Japan..The Vostok exercise is the second joint military exercise by the Chinese and Russian forces this year.