China and Russia Hold Combined Counter-WMD Training

China and Russia are deepening their military cooperation.

On July 1, Reuters reported that Russian forces, with the express approval of Russia’s defense minister, participated in a series of trainings conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) throughout 2025, including a three-week course on chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) warfare.

The training signals China’s willingness to share its emerging counter-CBRN capabilities and underscores the closeness of its defense ties to Russia as part of a growing Axis of Aggressors threatening U.S. national security.

Training Focused on Specialized Warfare Tactics

The training programs reportedly covered a range of specialized topics. In one of the Russian reports filed regarding the training and reviewed by Reuters, a Chinese military officer delivered a lecture to Russian soldiers, who also reviewed a model nuclear reactor and discussed topics such as “radiation reconnaissance,” “chemical reconnaissance,” and protecting ventilator systems from contaminants. According to another report filed by a Russian attendee, the training relied heavily on the use of simulators and primarily focused on theoretical knowledge given the PLA instructors’ lack of actual combat experience.

The training reportedly featured several Russian and Chinese generals, including Col. Gen. ​Rustam Muradov, who at the time was first deputy commander-in-chief of Russia’s land forces, Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, previous first deputy commander and chief of staff of the 41st Combined Arms Army, and Chinese Maj. Gen. Li Jinsun, head of the PLA’s Military Academy of Radiological, Chemical ​and Biological Defense. These trainings were conducted in several locations around China, including Beijing, Nanjing—home to the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command responsible for any Taiwan contingency—and Bengbu, which hosts key PLA-linked medical research institutes.

China Seeks To Compensate for Lack of Combat Experience

The trainings highlight the growing cooperation between Russia and China across a range of military domains. Russian forces have previously operated Chinese-produced equipment as part of a major 2021 exercise held in western China, during which the PLA took a leading role in exercise planning for the first time, while Russia hosted Chinese troops in 2025.

In August 2025, The Insider obtained leaked documents from Russia’s state-owned defense exporter indicating that the PLA had purchased Russian-produced command-and-control systems for its airborne forces, along with soliciting training from the Russian military. China has supplied the Russian defense-industrial base with myriad production equipment and parts for weapons, including for long-range one-way attack drones.

However, the training remains notable given both the subject material and China’s lack of relevant combat experience. Even though the PLA publicly conducted counter-CBRN drills in February 2025 to showcase new AI-enabled platforms for surveillance and detection, as well as listing “biology” as a “new domain” of warfare within its more recent military doctrines, Russia’s historic investment in CBRN doctrine and platforms far outweighs China’s current capabilities. Moreover, the PLA has little experience commanding forces within a CBRN-laden environment, in contrast to Russia’s likely use of banned riot agents against Ukrainian forces.

The United States Should Strengthen Its Biodefense Efforts

In response, the United States should strengthen its hold over chokepoint technologies critical to China’s military biodefense efforts, particularly certain types of mass spectrometers and other items that Beijing may use to further develop biological products with military applications.

Washington should also reverse cuts to its biodefense-related investments, particularly in next-generation countermeasures such as mRNA technology. Sufficient funding must also be maintained for agencies such as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is historically responsible for emergency public health initiatives.

Jack Burnham is a senior research analyst in the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Jack and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. Follow Jack on X @JackBurnham802. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.