THE BIGGER PICTURE:
The EU must stop viewing China primarily through an economic lens and focus on its role as an ‘enabler of Russia’s war,’ an official in Brussels said
China’s covert military training of Russian forces last year was personally approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s defense minister and directly involved at least four Russian and Chinese generals, according to two European officials and documents seen by Reuters.The involvement of such high-ranking individuals in training linked to the Ukraine war signaled the importance for Russia and China of such cooperation, which has caused alarm in Europe even as Beijing has denied it took place, the officials said.A classified Russian document directly referred to an internal decree issued by Russian Minister of Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in August last year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a ceremony at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China, on Aug. 31 last year.
It said that, in accordance with a decision by Belousov, a delegation from Russia’s armed forces traveled to China to participate in training exercises at Chinese People’s Liberation Army facilities.The same report detailed one of the training courses — a three-week session focused on radiological, chemical and biological protection at a military facility in Beijing in November last year.
