China, Russia start joint naval drills

BEIJING — Chinese and Russian naval forces kicked off a joint exercise at a military port in southern China on Sunday, state media reported, days after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies called Beijing a «decisive enabler» of the war in Ukraine.

In a brief statement, China's Defense Ministry said forces from both countries recently patrolled the western and northern Pacific Ocean, and that the operation had nothing to do with international and regional situations and didn't target any third party.

The exercise, which began in Guangdong province and is expected to last until mid-July, aimed to demonstrate the capabilities of the navies in addressing security threats and preserving peace and stability globally and regionally, state broadcaster China Central Television reported on Saturday, adding that it would include anti-missile exercises, sea strikes and air defense.

PACIFIC EXERCISE Russian sailors attend a welcome ceremony of their joint naval forces’ exercise in the city of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, southeastern China, on July 14, 2024. RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE PHOTO VIA AP

State-run Xinhua News Agency reported that 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 communiqué, approved by the 32 NATO members at their summit in Washington, D.C., made clear that China is becoming a focus of the military alliance, calling Beijing a «decisive enabler» of Russia's war against Ukraine.

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The European and North American members and their partners in the Indo-Pacific 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. Its Foreign Ministry maintained that China has a fair and objective stance on the war in Ukraine.

Last week, a United States Coast Guard cutter on routine patrol in the Bering Sea also came across