Nations vow regular exchanges

Chinese and Russian naval forces on Wednesday pledged to jointly safeguard regional stability through closer and regular military exchanges, as they concluded the maneuvers of their largest-ever naval exercises.

"Both sides are trying to make such drills regular," said Ding Yiping, deputy commander of the navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Boosted by the joint drills, the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is a "long-lasting and strategic" one, he said.

The chief director of Chinese task forces made the remarks at a news conference after the two sides sailed back to Vladivostok. They finished the three-day maneuvers of the "Joint Sea 2013" exercise in Peter the Great Gulf near the Far East port city on Wednesday afternoon.

Deputy Chief of the Russian Navy Main Staff Leonid Sukhanov said China and Russia are two major countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and they work together anytime to address maritime threats and secure their countries.

"Some countries believe our exercise is for regional stability while some countries hold different views, but I think that it has set an example for the other countries in safeguarding regional security and each other's national interests," he said.

According to Ding, the two task forces coordinated and integrated better than they did during the maritime joint drill held in the Yellow Sea last year.

"We have safely accomplished all the designed subjects under complex weather conditions," he said. "According to primary evaluations, we did a great job."

On Wednesday, the two navies staged joint maritime search and rescue missions and fired weapons, including anti-air, anti-sea and anti-submarine artillery.

Multiple missions

They also conducted a flurry of exercises amid a thick mist on Monday and Tuesday, including anchorage defense, joint air defense, maritime supply, joint escort and the rescue of hijacked vessels.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the Military Academic Research Institute of the Navy of the PLA, said the exercises are not aggressive but for peaceful exchanges.

A maritime parade was also held after the exercises concluded. Thirteen vessels, three fixed-wing aircraft, five ship-borne helicopters and two special operations detachments joined the parade on Wednesday afternoon.

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Viktor Chirkov also joined Russian cruiser Varyag to review the troops.

Ding said he had talked to Chirkov about more cooperation programs between the two navies in the near future.

Holding joint exercises is a complicated task, especially drills that involve more than 4,000 people such as the "Joint Sea 2013", Ding said. " But the results of the exercise have proven that China and Russia are good neighbors, friends and partners, and have laid a foundation for further cooperation in the future."

Large drills can offer "many benefits", including a rare opportunity for both sides to learn from each other, Sukhanov said.

Chi Qingtao, a senior officer of the Chinese task forces, said it was the first time Chinese task forces have practiced shooting parachute targets - a specialty of the Russian navy - during a drill.

"It was indeed a challenge for us. ... But we prepared six plans based on different winds speeds and hit them in a flash," he said.

"The navy shoulders the responsibility of safeguarding our maritime rights, but we won't provoke regional tension despite the growing strength."

The two navies are scheduled to conduct evaluations of the exercises on Thursday. The Chinese task forces, which arrived in Vladivostok on July 5, will leave on Friday.

Contact the writer at zhaoshengnan@chinadaily.com.cn and puzhendong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/11/2013 page11)