Beijing and Moscow vow to deepen military ties for the ‘maintenance of world security’

Beijing and Moscow have vowed to deepen their military ties for the ‘maintenance of world security’ in the latest sign of a growing closeness between China and Russia.

The warning to the west came as an American warship sailed through the sea separating Taiwan and the Chinese mainland amid soaring tensions in the region, and after Beijing staged war games around the self-ruled island.

Meanwhile, it was reported over the weekend that leaked US documents showed China would likely establish air superiority over Taiwan very quickly, raising uneasy questions about the island’s ability to defend itself against a possible invasion. 

The classified documents – seen by the Washington post – reveal that Taiwan’s military leaders doubt their air defence systems can ‘accurately detect missile launches’ and that only about half of the island’s military aircraft would be capable of effectively engaging with Chinese adversaries.

China’s defence minister on Sunday met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, where he hailed a ‘new era’ of Russia-China ties.

‘We have very strong ties. They surpass the military-political alliances of the Cold War era… They are very stable,’ he said in translated remarks broadcast on Russian TV.

‘This is my first overseas visit since taking over as China’s defence minister. I specifically chose Russia for this in order to emphasise the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral ties,’ Li said. 

Li also said China was willing to work with Russia to ‘further strengthen strategic communication between the two militaries’, according to a readout of the meeting published by China’s defence ministry.

In the meeting, also attended by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Putin welcomed military cooperation between Russia and China.

‘We are also working actively through the military departments, regularly exchange useful information, cooperate in the field of military-technical cooperation, conduct joint exercises,’ Putin said.

‘This is, undoubtedly, another important area that strengthens the exclusively trusting, strategic nature of our relations,’ he added.

Li’s trip to Russia – which will last until April 19 – comes weeks after an official visit to Moscow by Chinese leader Xi Jinping last month, and as The G7’s top diplomats arrived in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa Sunday for talks.

During two days of talks between Putin and Xi, the pair hailed a ‘new era’ in their relationship and discussed Beijing’s proposals to end the Ukraine conflict.

Moscow and Beijing have over the past years ramped up cooperation, both driven by a desire to counterbalance US global dominance. Their partnership has only grown closer since Putin launched an offensive in Ukraine last February.

China has sought to portray itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict – which began with Putin ordering an invasion of the country in February 2022 – and has worked to position itself as a potential media in the conflict.

However, the West has questioned China’s true motive, and Washington has accused Beijing of mulling arms exports to Moscow – claims China has denied.

Last week, the leaked documents from the Pentagon appeared to show that US intelligence had learned that China had approved sending arms to Russia.

A senior official in Kyiv said on Friday that Ukrainian forces are finding a growing number of Chinese-made components in Russian weapons in the country.

Publicly, both NATO and the US have said they have seen no signs that China has approved the provision of lethal aid to Moscow’s forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (centre) meet with Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu (left) at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 16

China’s growing pressure on Taiwan, and Russia’s war in Ukraine were the two issues set to dominate G7 talks in Japan.

The foreign ministers arrived by special bullet train for discussions that will set the stage for a leaders’ summit in Hiroshima next month.

There is no shortage of challenges to discuss, but recent regional events are likely to sharpen the focus on Asia.

The meeting, and Li’s visit to Moscow, followed a series oh large-scale drills carried out by China’s military, in which a blockade of Taiwan was simulated.

Three days of military exercises were launched on April 8 in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s recent visit to the United States, where she met with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.

Beijing bristles at any official contact between Taipei and foreign governments. 

On the final day of last week’s drills, Taiwan’s defence ministry said 54 Chinese planes crossed into Taiwan’s southwestern and southeastern air defence identification zone (ADIZ) – the highest recorded in a single day since October 2021. 

That same day, the USS Milius sailed through waters claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea. That deployment triggered condemnation from China, which said the vessel had ‘illegally intruded’ into its territorial waters.

That deployment triggered condemnation from China, which said the vessel had ‘illegally intruded’ into its territorial waters.

That same warship sailed through the Taiwan straight on Monday.

Led by the United States, multiple Western navies regularly conduct ‘freedom of navigation operations’ to assert the international status of regional waterways such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

The USS Milius guided-missile destroyer ‘conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit April 16 (local time) through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law’, the US Navy said in a statement.

‘The ship transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State.’

This was the first such US operation through the waterway since January.

The US 7th Fleet shared images Monday on Twitter of crew looking out into the strait, one of the most crucial waterways in the world for international shipping.

China said on Monday it had tracked a US warship through the Taiwan Strait, adding that the United States had ‘hyped up’ the transit.

Colonel Shi Yi, a Chinese military spokesman, said troops in the area ‘remain on a high level of alert at all times and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability’.

China also sanctioned the organisations involved with Tsai’s visit in the US, including the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where her meeting with McCarthy and other members of Congress were held. 

It also later sanctioned US Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, for visiting Taiwan.

On Sunday, China launched a rocket carrying a satellite that dropped debris into waters north of the capital Taipei. While the satellite launch had no obvious military purpose, it disrupted travel, delaying flights.

China claims Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to bring the island under its control one day. It also claims the entire Taiwan Strait as its territorial waters.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Monday that during the vessel’s transit, its military had ‘closely monitored the dynamics in our surrounding sea and airspace, and the situation was normal.’

Since the war games ended, Chinese warships and aircraft have continued to circle Taiwan, the country’s government has said.

On Monday, Taipei’s defence ministry said it had detected four warships and 18 aircraft, four of which had crossed its southwestern ADIZ.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon sailed through the Taiwan Strait on January 5, months after McCarthy’s predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited the island.

American troops take part in weapons training during the ‘Balikatan’ US-Philippines joint military exercises in Fort Magsaysay on April 13, 2023 in Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Pelosi’s trip sparked China’s largest-ever war games around Taiwan.

The United States has been carrying out its own war games with its ally the Philippines in the region.

The Balikatan drills in the Philippines are being seen as a show of strength around areas that are contested in the South China sea.

Almost 18,000 troops are taking part in the live fire drills which will see a ship sinking rocket attack and beach assaults to simulate retaking in island.