SCMP: Russia and China Prepare Together to Resist Islamists
China and Russia are actively preparing for the September military exercises amid growing fears over the situation around Afghanistan, writes the Hong Kong South China Morning Post. The recent terrorist attacks in Kabul, amid the growing crisis, will only push Beijing and Moscow to strengthen bilateral ties.
Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army of the PRC are expected to join their Russian counterparts on September 11 as part of the two-week Peace Mission 2021 anti-terrorist exercise, which will also include representatives from several other states. These are India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. All these states, as noted in the text, are concerned about the preservation of regional security after the withdrawal of the US military from war-torn Afghanistan.
The Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement that the SCO's counterterrorism exercises this year will include reconnaissance missions, drone attacks and other activities.
Chinese and Russian troops have already taken part in a five-day exercise in the northwest of China earlier this month.
Eagle Yin, a researcher at the China Foundation for International and Strategic Research in Beijing, argues that suicide attacks at Kabul airport could herald a civil war, exacerbating current problems for all neighboring countries. An earlier Afghan-based offshoot of the Islamic State group (banned in Russia) claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 13 US troops and at least 90 Afghans.
China, Russia and Central Asian countries worry that volatile Afghanistan will become a safe haven for all extremist forces
- indicates Yin.
Another military expert, Zhou Chenming, said that if Beijing and Washington have very few chances to cooperate, then "the current crisis in Afghanistan is already pushing China and Russia towards closer cooperation."
Meanwhile, China will soon host other international exercises, starting on September 6. Military personnel from Pakistan, Mongolia and Thailand will take part in the 10-day "Common Destiny 2021" exercise.
Reader Comments:
Words are cheap. I want China and Russia to show themselves for real. I hope we will not witness the PLA special forces crying and calling for mom, as it happened in 1993 during the Battle of Mogadishu.
- taunts Russell T.
China and Russia prepare to focus on Central Asia, while America leaves to in turn focus on China and Russia
- noted Rick T.
Nobody wants to have a failed state and a hotbed of terrorists at their side
- commented Jing L.
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