Exercises Military Diplomacy

China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan Jointly Organize the Year's First Round of Border Disarmament Compliance Inspections

中哈吉俄塔共同组织年度首轮边境裁军履约视察

PLA Daily (解放军报) 7 June 2026

Summary

From May 27 to June 4, a nine-member joint inspection team from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan entered China via the Tongjiang port of entry and inspected the patrol boat battalion of a Northern Theater Command Army border defense brigade, while a nine-member Chinese team crossed into Russia at Nizhneleninskoye and inspected an air defense missile brigade in Birobidzhan — the first of four annual inspection rounds each side conducts under the 1996 and 1997 Shanghai agreements. The article documents the operational mechanics of the SCO border arms-control verification regime at the unit level, confirming that the 100-kilometer-zone inspection framework remains active and that Northern Theater Command border defense units are the designated hosts on the Chinese side. The 30th-anniversary framing and the reference to the 50th Joint Supervisory Group meeting extend the institutional record of this mechanism and establish a baseline for tracking whether inspection cadence or access scope changes as Russia's military posture shifts under wartime conditions.

Translation

Enhancing Cooperative Mutual Trust, Jointly Fulfilling the Pledge of Peace — China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan Jointly Organize the Year's First Round of Border Disarmament Compliance Inspections

PLA Daily, Jiamusi, June 5 — Reporters Du Juan and Chu Yiming report: From May 27 to June 4, a joint-side military inspection team composed of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan conducted border disarmament compliance inspections along the eastern section of the Sino-Russian border. This was the first round of border disarmament compliance inspection activities for both the Chinese side and the joint side this year.

Pursuant to the Agreement on Confidence-Building Measures in the Military Field in Border Areas signed by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan in 1996, and the Agreement on Mutual Reduction of Military Forces in Border Areas signed in 1997 (collectively referred to as the "Two Agreements"), the military inspection teams of the Chinese side and the joint side (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan) each year conduct 4 rounds and 8 inspections of the other side's military forces and technical equipment within a 100-kilometer zone of the border area.

Accompanied by Chinese personnel, the 9-member joint-side military inspection team entered through the Tongjiang port of entry and first conducted a three-day border disarmament compliance inspection of the patrol boat battalion of a border defense brigade of the Northern Theater Command Army. The joint-side inspection team received briefings from Chinese personnel on the unit's garrison location, camp distribution, and personnel presence, and subsequently conducted on-site inspections of the battalion's equipment storage rooms and barracks compound. The inspection team fully affirmed the Chinese side's compliance work and signed the inspection report.

Qi Lin, a relevant responsible official of the patrol boat battalion of a border defense brigade of the Northern Theater Command Army, stated that this year, in strict accordance with the requirements of the "Two Agreements" and the spirit of the 50th meeting of the Joint Supervisory Group, his side had comprehensively arranged inspection tasks, clarified inspection requirements, organized personnel training, and standardized inspection procedures, thereby laying the foundation for completing the annual border disarmament compliance inspection tasks.

Lieutenant Colonel Larykin of the Russian Ministry of Defense, head of the joint-side inspection team, noted that the professional competence demonstrated by the Chinese escort group and the inspection expert team during this inspection ensured that all aspects of the inspection were completed to a high standard.

Thereafter, a 9-member Chinese inspection team entered Russia through the Nizhneleninskoye port of entry and conducted an inspection of an air defense missile brigade stationed in Birobidzhan. The results showed that its weapons and equipment, personnel establishment, and deployment positions all met the requirements of the agreements.

Enhancing cooperative mutual trust, jointly fulfilling the pledge of peace. Liu Jinsong, head of the Chinese inspection team, told reporters: "This year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on Confidence-Building Measures in the Military Field in Border Areas among China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. Over the years, the cooperative mechanism established by the agreement has become a successful model for enhancing political mutual trust among states and consolidating border stability, laying a solid foundation for long-term peace, stability, and common development in the region, and creating favorable conditions for developing comprehensive cooperation and lasting good-neighborly and friendly relations among the five countries."

It is understood that during the inspection process, both the Chinese and joint sides also achieved the goals of building confidence, dispelling doubts, deepening cooperation, strengthening relations, and enhancing friendship through activities such as symposiums and exchanges, mutual visits to troops and border cities, and the organization of cultural and sports friendship events, thereby creating a favorable atmosphere for jointly safeguarding peace and security in the border areas.

Original Chinese

增进合作互信共赴和平之约中哈吉俄塔共同组织年度首轮边境裁军履约视察解放军报佳木斯6月5日电记者杜娟、楚一鸣报道：5月27日至6月4日，由哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、俄罗斯、塔吉克斯坦4国组成的联方军事视察组，位中俄边界东段进行边境裁军履约视察。这是中联双方今年首轮边境裁军履约视察活动。根据中哈吉俄塔1996年签署的《关于在边境地区加强军事领域信任的协定》和1997年签署的《关于在边境地区相互裁减军事力量的协定》（合称“两个协定”），中方和联方（哈吉俄塔）的军事视察组每年对对方边境地区100公里范围内的军事力量和技术装备等进行4轮8次裁军履约视察。在中方人员陪同下，联方军事视察组一行9人从同江口岸入境，首先对北部战区陆军某边防旅巡逻艇大队进行为期3天的边境裁军履约视察。联方视察组听取中方人员对部队驻地、营区分布、人员在位等情况的介绍说明，随后对该大队装备库室、营院等进行现地视察。视察组对中方履约工作情况给予充分肯定，并签署了视察报告。北部战区陆军某边防旅巡逻艇大队相关负责人齐林介绍，今年，我方严格按照“两个协定”要求和联合监督小组第50次会议精神，统筹部署视察任务、明确视察要求、组织人员培训、规范视察程序，为完成年度边境裁军履约视察任务奠定基础。联方视察组组长、俄罗斯国防部拉里金中校指出，中方陪同组与视察专家组在本次视察活动中展现出的专业素养，确保了此次视察活动各项工作高标准完成。此后，中方9人组成的视察组由下列宁斯阔耶口岸进入俄罗斯，对驻守在比罗比詹的防空导弹某旅进行视察。结果显示，其武器装备、人员编制、部署点位等均符合协定要求。增进合作互信，共赴和平之约。中方视察组组长刘劲松告诉记者：“今年是中哈吉俄塔《关于在边境地区加强军事领域信任的协定》签署30周年。这些年来，协定所确立的合作机制，成为国家间增进政治互信、巩固边境安宁的成功范例，为地区长治久安与共同发展奠定坚实基础，为发展五国间全面合作和长久睦邻友好关系创造有利条件。” 据了解，视察过程中中联双方还通过座谈交流、相互参观部队和边境城市、组织文体联谊等活动，达到了增信释疑、深化合作、密切关系、增进友谊的目的，为共同维护边境地区的和平与安全营造了良好氛围。