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China's participation in the joint exercises was "unrelated to
the current international and regional situation", the ministry
said in a statement.
Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold "Vostok" (East)
exercises from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, even as it wages a costly war
in Ukraine. It said at the time that some foreign forces would
participate, without naming them.
Its last such exercises took place in 2018, when China took part
for the first time.
China's defence ministry said its participation in the exercises
was part of an ongoing bilateral annual cooperation agreement
with Russia.
"The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with
the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of
strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and
strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats,"
the statement said.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin, Beijing and Moscow have grown increasingly
close.
Shortly before Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Beijing and
Moscow announced a "no limits" partnership, although U.S.
officials say they have not seen China evade U.S.-led sanctions
on Russia or provide it with military equipment.
Russia's eastern military district includes part of Siberia and
has its headquarters in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border.
(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Tony Munroe; Editing by Andrew
Cawthorne, Bernadette Baum and Alex Richardson)
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