Military policy and maneuvers undertaken by Russia in recent months appear to indicate that Moscow has begun to feel threatened by China's growing military strength, according to experts on Russian affairs.
Last July, for example, Russia conducted the most extensive military exercises in its history in the Far Eastern region. Moscow is also said to be contemplating deployment of the French-built amphibious assault ship Mistral in the Far East.
Russia's official explanation remains that these actions are meant to counter the Japan-U.S. alliance in connection with the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan over the four northern islands that were occupied by the former Soviet Union immediately after the Pacific War as well as with the mounting tensions in and around the Korean Peninsula.