BEIJING — State media said that on Sunday, Chinese and Russian naval forces started a combined drill at a military port in southern China. This drill comes soon after Beijing was named as a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine by NATO allies.
China’s Defense Ministry announced in a brief statement that patrols by the armed forces of both nations had taken place recently in the western and northern Pacific Oceans. The government stressed that the operation did not target any third parties and had nothing to do with regional or international affairs.
Commencing in Guangdong province, the drills are expected to go until mid-July. Their goal is to showcase both countries’ naval prowess in confronting security risks and upholding peace and stability in the area and around the world. Air defense, maritime attacks, and anti-missile exercises are all part of the maneuvers, according to official broadcaster China Central Television.
Chinese and Russian navy forces engaged in on-map military simulations and tactical coordination drills after the inauguration ceremony in Zhanjiang, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
China and NATO partners have recently been at odds, which coincides with these joint drills. China is becoming a bigger source of concern for the alliance, according to a strongly worded communiqué that the 32 members of NATO approved at their summit in Washington, D.C. Beijing was called a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Members of NATO in Europe, North America, and the Indo-Pacific region are beginning to recognize Russia and its Asian allies, especially China, as shared security threats.
Responding to NATO’s pursuit of security at the expense of others, China has cautioned the alliance against introducing the same “chaos” to Asia. The country of China, according to its Foreign Ministry, takes an impartial and fair stand on the conflict in Ukraine.
Additionally, four Chinese military ships were seen last week by a US Coast Guard cutter on a routine patrol in the Bering Sea. The ships were in international seas, but the US exclusive economic zone included them. The crew found three vessels in the Aleutian Islands, which connect the North Pacific with the Bering Sea, around 124 miles north of the Amchitka Pass, according to American officials. A fourth ship was later sighted some 84 miles north of the Amukta Pass. The Chinese naval warships were operating in accordance with international regulations, as stated by the US side.
