China and Thailand on Sunday began joint military exercises at Udorn Royal Air Force Base in Thailand, which will continue until August 25, China’s Xinhua news agency reported, citing Agerpres.

These joint exercises, called Falcon Strike 2022, involve fighter jets, bombers and early warning aircraft. The two countries are conducting similar joint military maneuvers for the fifth time.

Chinese authorities clarified that these joint exercises, which have not been held in recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will also include “air launches, ground targeting and small and large deployment maneuvers”.

The joint exercises are aimed at strengthening mutual trust and friendship between the air forces of the two countries and deepening bilateral practical cooperation to jointly protect regional security and stability, the Chinese side said.

The joint military exercises take place amid tensions in the region around Taiwan

Thailand has been trying to strengthen its military ties with China for several years. It was one of the first countries to purchase Chinese military equipment following an agreement signed in 2017. However, in 2020, the planned purchase of two Chinese submarines for a total of 724 million dollars, which was very badly received by the population, has been postponed, according to AFP.

The joint exercises of China and Thailand are taking place against the background of tensions that arose in the region after last week’s visit to Taiwan by the president of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi, comments the EFE agency. China retaliated by conducting live-fire military exercises in waters near Taiwan, a de facto self-governing territory in the South China Sea that Beijing considers a rebel province.

Between August 1 and 14, more than 2,000 US troops and 2,000 Indonesian troops participated in the Garuda Shield 2022 military exercise in Indonesia, demonstrating strength in the face of tensions in the region.