According to Reuters sources, Russia has been training special forces in China over the past year, with a report signed by the Russian Defence Minister and obtained by two anonymous European agents. The report mentions up to four Chinese and Russian generals involved, and the participation of such high-ranking individuals in exercises linked to the war in Ukraine highlights the importance of this cooperation for Russia and China, which has caused alarm in Europe. Both Russia and China deny that this exercise ever took place.
The collaboration between Russia and China has highlighted the Asian giant's difficult diplomatic situation with Europe, given that, on the one hand, it is a key economic partner and, on the other, a military ally of Russia - a country viewed as the main threat to the European Union since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has extensive combat experience on the ground, whilst China has a large, technologically advanced army, but one that has not fought a war for more than 40 years.
The EU has already imposed sanctions on Chinese companies which, it claims, are supporting Russia's war effort. A European official also said that Europe "should stop viewing China primarily from an economic perspective and focus on its role as a 'key enabler of Russia's war'."