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) 31 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 troops attending; the Chinese contingent is organized primarily around armored elements of a brigade under the 79th Group Army. The exercise's stated subject is joint strike operations against illegal armed organizations, and the two sides will establish a joint command post and conduct 实战化训练 (combat-realistic training) focused on joint command and coordinated strikes. This is only the second iteration of the Steppe Partner series, so the exercise documents an early-stage bilateral military relationship rather than a mature or regularized one — the framing around counterterrorism and regional stability fits China's standard justification for exercises with neighboring states, but the specific role of 79th Group Army armored forces in this format remains worth tracking.

Translation

China-Mongolia "Steppe Partner-2026" Army Joint Training Opening Ceremony Held. Officers and soldiers of the Chinese and Mongolian participating units conduct a march-past. Photo by Sun Jiaqian. PLA Daily, Hohhot, May 30 — Reported by correspondents Wei Yinchu and special correspondent Wang Lijun: On the morning of the 30th, the opening ceremony of the China-Mongolia "Steppe Partner-2026" Army Joint Training was held at a joint training base in Inner Mongolia.

At the opening ceremony, the joint training commanders of both the Chinese and Mongolian sides jointly reviewed the participating units and organized a march-past. After delivering respective remarks, they announced the formal commencement of the joint training. More than 600 officers and soldiers from both sides 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 mutual trust, strengthening 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

中蒙“草原伙伴-2026”陆军联训举行开训仪式中蒙参训部队官兵举行分列式。孙佳乾摄解放军报呼和浩特5月30日电记者尉寅础、特约记者王立军报道：30日上午，中蒙“草原伙伴-2026”陆军联合训练开训仪式在内蒙古某联合训练基地举行。开训仪式上，中蒙双方联训指挥员共同检阅参训部队并组织分列式，分别致辞后宣布联合训练正式开始。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，旨在不断深化互信，加强合作，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。