A number of controversial experiments were reportedly carried out together by the two world powers. According to a Chinese scientist who participated in the project, both countries worked together to change the atmosphere for military purposes.
One of several trials conducted in June allegedly targeted a region of about 49,000 square kilometers above the Russian town of Vasilsursk in eastern Europe.
Electrons were pumped into the atmosphere using an atmospheric heating facility in Vasilsursk and data from orbit was collected by a Chinese electromagnetic surveillance satellite.
The experiment reportedly reached a spike of ten times in subatomic particles that were negatively charged.
Such changes have the potential to offer distinct military advantages through disruption of satellite communications and weather manipulation.
For these purposes, efforts to control the atmosphere of the earth date back to the Cold War.
What China and Russia plan to do next with technology remains to be seen.