According to a Monday report in the People's Daily, China made its first large-scale weapons technology purchases from Russia in the last ten years, when it recently signed an agreement to buy 24 fighter jets and four submarines from Russia.

The state media reported that China will be buying 24 Su-35 fighters and four Lada-class submarines from Russia; with the framework agreement already having been reached by the two countries before new Chinese President Xi Jinping's inaugural visit as head of state to Russia on Friday.

Despite the fact that the report stopped short of giving a value of the purchases which China has made from Russia, it did mention that it was the first time in the last one decade that China had purchased "large military technological equipment" from Moscow.

About the deal between China and Russia, Andrei Chang - editor-in-chief of the Canadian-based Kanwa Defence Review - had said some time back that the noteworthy part of the agreement was not technology, but the strategic co-operation which the deal underscored between the two neighbouring military giants, particularly at a time when the US is making a strategic pivot towards Asia.

Meanwhile, noting that domestic and overseas military watchers had been closely following the progress of the deal during the last few months, Macau International Military Association's chairman Antony Wong Dong said: "With such a concrete agreement, I expect the deal will be formally closed before the end of this year."