Chinese and Russian naval forces on Sunday began a joint exercise at a military port in southern China, news agency Xinhua reported, days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense in a brief statement said that forces from both sides had patrolled the western and northern Pacific Ocean, and that the operation had nothing to do with international and regional situations, and did not target any third party.
The exercise, which began in Guangdong Province and is expected to last until the middle of this month, aims to demonstrate the capabilities of the navies in addressing security threats, and preserving peace and stability globally and regionally, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday, adding that it would include anti-missile exercises, sea strikes and air defense.
Photo: AFP / Russian Ministry of Defense
Xinhua reported that the Chinese and Russian naval forces carried out on-map military simulation and tactical coordination exercises after the opening ceremony in the city of Zhanjiang.
The joint drills came on the heels of China’s latest tensions with NATO allies last week.
The sternly worded final communique, approved by the 32 NATO members at their summit in Washington, made clear that China is becoming a focus of the military alliance, calling Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The European and North American members and their partners in the Indo-Pacific region increasingly see shared security concerns coming from Russia and its Asian supporters, especially China.
In response, China accused NATO of seeking security at the expense of others and told the alliance not to bring the same “chaos” to Asia.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that China has a fair and objective stance on the war in Ukraine.
A US Coast Guard cutter on routine patrol in the Bering Sea last week came across several Chinese military ships in international waters, but within the US exclusive economic zone, US officials said.
Its crew detected three vessels approximately 200km north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands.
Later, a fourth ship was spotted approximately 135km north of the Amukta Pass.
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