Taiwan is bracing for an imminent invasion from China and has built a fortress of defense around the island nation. But Beijing's long-time ally Moscow might have the key to counter these fortifications. Reports say Russia has already extended help to China.
An analysis done by the Royal United Services Institute, a UK-based defense and security forum, says that Russia is sharing a military tactic -- one that is almost guaranteed to bypass defenses : airborne soldiers.
The report says Russian instructors would train the Chinese airborne battalion at training grounds in China, preparing the soldiers for landing, fire control and manoeuvring. Part of the training would also be held in Russia.
The authors of the report have said Beijing could extract great value from the deal. And the training and procedures for command and control of parachute forces would be in the spotlight because of Moscow’s combat experience.
“Russia is equipping and training Chinese special forces groups to penetrate the territory of other countries without being noticed, offering offensive options against Taiwan, the Philippines and other island states in the region,” RUSI fellows Oleksandr V Danylyuk and Jack Watling wrote in an analysis of the deal.
Under the terms of the agreement, Russia would also transfer technologies to China, that will allow it to make similar weapons, RUSI’s review of the documents shows.
China-Russia military deal
But preparation for building China's airborne army isn’t the plan in action. The dealings have signaled a potential amphibious invasion, too.
The report says the deal includes 37 light amphibious assault vehicles, 11 amphibious anti-tank self-propelled guns and 11 airborne armored personnel carriers. All of this amounts to $210 million.
China and Russia have also conducted a flurry of joint military deals in the recent past. In fact, they held a total of 14 in 2024 — the most since such bilateral drills began.
In August, they conducted their first-ever joint submarine patrol in the Pacific, according to reports in state-run media.
Russia and China have traded arms for decades. But the bilateral partnership has seen a significant upswing ever since Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping stood shoulder-to-shoulder at a Beijing military parade this year.
The huddle, which also included North Korea's Kim Jong Un, was described as an unprecedented show of solidarity against the US and its allies.
