Exercises Military Diplomacy

China-Mongolia "Steppe Partner-2026" Army Joint Training Opening Ceremony Held

中蒙“草原伙伴-2026”陆军联训举行开训仪式

PLA Daily (解放军报) 30 May 2026

Summary

The opening ceremony for 'Steppe Partner-2026' was held May 30 at a joint training base in Inner Mongolia, with more than 600 Chinese and Mongolian officers and soldiers attending; Chinese forces are organized primarily around armored elements of a brigade under the 79th Group Army, and both sides will establish a joint command post for 实战化训练 (combat-realistic training) focused on joint command and coordinated strike operations against illegal armed organizations. This is the second iteration of the series, making it a nascent but recurring bilateral format — the article documents the exercise's institutional structure and stated subject matter but does not specify which brigade, the duration, or the scale of forces beyond the ceremony headcount.

Translation

Xinhua News Agency, Hohhot, May 30 (Du Juan, Wang Cheng) — The opening ceremony of the China-Mongolia "Steppe Partner-2026" Army Joint Training was held on the 30th at a joint training base in Inner Mongolia.

At the opening ceremony, the joint training commanders from both sides jointly reviewed the participating troops and delivered remarks respectively. More than 600 officers and soldiers from China and Mongolia attended the ceremony in person.

This joint training takes joint strike operations against illegal armed organizations as its subject, and is aimed at continuously deepening friendship and mutual trust, strengthening practical cooperation, and enhancing the capacity to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability. This is the second time the armies of China and Mongolia have held this series of joint training exercises.

It is understood that the Chinese forces participating in this joint training are organized primarily around the armored elements of a brigade under Army Group 79. During the joint training, both sides will establish a joint command post and conduct combat-realistic training (实战化训练) centered on subjects including joint command and coordinated strike operations, further enhancing the two militaries' capacity to jointly respond to security risks and carry out missions together.

Original Chinese

新华社呼和浩特5月30日电（杜娟、王成）中蒙“草原伙伴-2026”陆军联合训练开训仪式30日在内蒙古某联合训练基地举行。开训仪式上，双方联训指挥员共同检阅参训部队，并分别致辞。中蒙双方600余名官兵现场参加仪式。本次联训以联合打击非法武装组织行动为课题，旨在不断深化友谊互信，加强务实合作，提升共同维护地区和平稳定能力。这是中蒙两国陆军第2次举行该系列联训。据了解，参加此次联训的中方部队，以陆军第79集团军某旅装甲力量为主体组建。联训期间，双方将组建联合指挥所，围绕联合指挥、协同打击等课目开展实战化训练，进一步提升两军共同应对安全风险、联合遂行任务的能力。