Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky said he had agreed with his Chinese counterpart Gen Liang Guanglie that the next round of maneuvers would be held in Russia, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

Baluyevsky declined to disclose the date of the exercises.

In August last year, some 10,000 troops, mostly Chinese and about 1,800 Russians, took part in major drills in the Shandong peninsula in the Yellow Sea.

China and Russia sought to reassure the region that the exercises weren't directed against any country but the two giant neighbours have strengthened ties over shared concerns about US dominance of world affairs.

The war games sparked debate in Russia over how closely the nation should cooperate with China, which many Russians see as a potential threat because of its size, economic might and proximity to sparsely populated, resource-rich Siberia.