Joint China, Russia military drill kicks off in Sea of Japan

A joint military exercise organized by Chinese and Russian militaries kicked off in the Sea of Japan this week, as the Chinese Defense Ministry said earlier that the drill aims to enhance strategic cooperation between the militaries and strengthen their ability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.

During the four-day drill that started on Thursday, participating forces from China and Russia will carry out joint exercises in areas such as maritime and air escort, deterrence and expulsion, and anchorage defense, according to Xinhua News Agency.

China and Russia are each other's largest neighboring country and comprehensive strategic partner, and the two militaries are important forces in promoting and maintaining regional peace and stability, it said.

Qiu Wensheng, the exercise commander, was quoted as saying that this exercise is a practical measure to fully implement the important consensus of the heads of state of China and Russia, and it's also a manifestation of the high strategic mutual trust and solid traditional friendship between the countries and their militaries.

It is also a multidimensional test of the joint operational capability of China and Russia's maritime and air forces in far-sea and far-domain integrated operations, he said.

Qiu added that all participating officers and soldiers will spare no efforts to enhance their ability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability and respond to various security challenges through practical actions.

According to a previous report by People's Liberation Army Daily, more than 10 warships and over 30 aircraft from China and Russia have participated in this exercise.

The Chinese naval formation participating in the exercise arrived in the designated area on Wednesday and joined the Russian naval forces, as both sides established a joint exercise command headquarters.

The report noted that a dedicated command information system would be used in this exercise to ensure efficient and smooth exercise command.

China's Defense Ministry last week announced in a brief statement that the Russian military would send naval and air forces to participate in the exercise organized by the PLA's Northern Theater Command in the central part of the Sea of Japan, in accordance with the annual cooperation plan of the Chinese and Russian militaries.

The statement said the theme of the exercise is "maintaining the security of maritime strategic passages", aiming to enhance the level of strategic cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries and strengthen their ability to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability and respond to various security challenges.