Claire Bigg in Moscow
Tuesday December 28, 2004
The Guardian
Russia and China will carry out their first joint military manoeuvres in the second half of 2005, Russia's defence minister, Sergei Ivanov, said.
"For the first time in history, we have decided to hold large-scale military exercises with China," he said.
Mr Ivanov said the exercises would involve Russia's strategic bombers and submarines and troop manoeuvres in China. "We will try to develop our cooperation with China through different sorts of military forces," he said.
The announcement sparked fears that Russia and China could be paving the way for a military alliance. Those fears have been exacerbated by souring relations between the US and Russia since the elections in Ukraine.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1380163,00.html