The Chinese military has a big and glaring weakness, and it's turning to Russia to fix it during massive war games

The Russian and Chinese armed forces are putting their military might on display on land, in the air, and at sea in a massive exercise in Russia's far east, where China is learning lessons from Russia's warfighting experience in Syria and other global hotspots.

Chinese troops, as well as helicopters and tanks, are participating in Vostok 2018, reportedly the largest drills in the history of the Russian army, and while the Chinese and Russian militaries have held drills together in the past, this year's exercise is different.

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A recent article in the Global Times explained that one of the reasons for the ongoing exercises is to learn from the Russian military. "

China's military is undergoing an extensive military modernization program designed to build a lethal force that is able to fight and win wars by the middle of this century. This effort has involved leadership changes, new recruitment standards, and enhanced training with an emphasis on actual live-fire combat exercises for war rather than the rough equivalent of a military parade, even though that still occurs.

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