Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu visited China's main military exhibition in Zhuhai, demonstrating the unity between the two countries in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reports "Reuters", quoted by News.bg.
Shoigu inspected Chinese and Russian aircraft and other military equipment in the southern city of Zhuhai on Thursday. Among them are the Chinese J-22 and J-35A stealth fighters, which China presents as competitors to the latest American aircraft of the same class.
The former Russian defense minister also visited China for the annual strategic security consultations. The exhibition included the public debut of China's J-35A stealth fighter, as well as a two-seater mockup of the J-20 stealth fighter. In addition, advanced helicopters, stealth drones and anti-missile systems attracted attention.
"These developments clearly suggest a continued large-scale modernization of the PLA's (People's Liberation Army of China) capabilities to counter intervention by the US and its allies, consistent with the counter-intervention strategy," commented Malcolm Davies, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. "All these measures strengthen China's A2AD strategy, making it more lethal and expanding its reach."
A2AD stands for Anti-Access/Area Denial, a military concept aimed at making it difficult for the enemy to reach the battlefield.
China is the world's fourth-largest arms exporter, according to data released in March by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. However, Chinese arms sales have been declining over the past decade due to changing geopolitical dynamics.