Has the Chinese military overtaken the Russian military?

Russian, Chinese and Mongolian troops trained together in 2018 for the Vostok exercise. MLAden Antonov

Decryption – In Moscow, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin signed an agreement opening a “new era” in their relations, which are experiencing an increasing reversal in the balance of power, at the military level.

there”A new era» Russian-Chinese relations begin with an obvious disparity at the military and technological level. The Kremlin’s historical advantage is being eroded by Beijing’s massive investments in its defense sector. So, in early March, Beijing announced a 7.3% increase in its military budget. increase”Consistent with China’s military ambitions, its military is modernizing but not yet mature.», emphasizes Marc Julien, researcher at the Asia Center of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and head of China operations.

Sino-Russian cooperation has been strong, be it last September’s Vostok exercise or several recent naval maneuvers. The Chinese president’s visit ended on Wednesday, having signed a “Declaration on Strategic Partnership and Deepening Bilateral Relations” the previous day. But in reality, at least militarily, China is asserting itself…

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