NEWSLINK: Russia, China plan war games, arms sales. Could alliance be in the cards?
[“Russia, China plan war games, arms sales. Could alliance be in the cards? With Russia alienated by the West and China eager to buy high-end weaponry, a joint military pact – though still a long way off – looks increasingly seductive to both” – Christian Science Monitor – Fred Weir – Nov. 21, 2014]
The Christian Science Monitor reports on the strengthening of ties between Russia and China, including joint military drills and closer economic and political ties. There also reportedly is consideration of a military alliance.
Russia and China are planning to hold large-scale joint naval drills in the Mediterranean and Pacific next year, as deepening economic and political cooperation appear to be driving the two giants to at least discuss the idea of forming a military bloc.
Both countries are rapidly jacking up their military spending and modernizing their forces. …. Russia … has lately begun restoring Soviet-era bomber patrols across much of the West’s airspace. Russian officials say the upcoming naval drills are designed to demonstrate that Russian and Chinese fleets can operate together in bodies of water half a world apart.
It’s still a far cry from the “NATO of the East” that some analysts have been predicting for years. But economic relations between them have taken a quantum leap …
