4 Aug in 5:00
Newsweek
China has welcomed Russian troops to hold joint strategic drills for the first time next week on the territory of the People's Republic as part of growing ties between Beijing and Moscow,
Russian personnel were met with a warm reception over the weekend as Chinese People's Liberation Army Lieutenant General Liu Xiaowu, deputy commander of the Western Theater Command and commanding officer of Chinese forces in the upcoming exercise, presented a bouquet of flowers to members of the Russian military delegation visiting ahead of the Zapad-Interaction, or West-Interaction, drills set to play out from August 9 to 13.
Liu "remarked that in the context of the big changes and pandemic, this is the first joint strategic exercise participated by Russian troops in China," according to a readout published Monday by the Chinese Defense Ministry.