Last year, China publicly agreed to strengthen military relations with Russia. Together they increased the number, scale and complexity of joint military exercises. There was tangible evidence of this in the Northwest Pacific in October 2024.

China has typically used joint exercises as a potential deterrent to the U.S. The increased frequency and geographical locations of military exercises with Moscow help to enhance coordination between the two countries’ armed forces, and enable Beijing to demonstrate its military power in the region.

That is significant considering its interest in taking over Taiwan someday.

“China’s relations with Russia are based on Moscow’s support for the modernization and development of the Chinese military. China is also using the war in Ukraine to increase its army’s readiness for war,” an Eastern European intelligence official told me this week.

China’s intelligence services gather both strategic and tactical information. That kind of information allows Beijing to learn from the practical experience of Russia and Ukraine on the battlefield and draw conclusions about how to effectively support Russia.

Speaking of which, China has increased the export of “high-value-added and dual-use goods” to Russia, the intelligence official said. Beijing is not making direct military deliveries to Russia, but public data shows monthly exports of these goods worth more than $300 million. That is one third of China’s total exports to Russia. The goods have been identified as high-priority raw materials used to produce weapons, including missiles and drones.

That means Beijing is actively supporting Russia not only in circumventing international sanctions, but also in continuing its war in Ukraine.