MOSCOW, Russia — Two Russian warships have arrived in the southern Chinese city of Zhanjiang to participate in joint naval exercises, as confirmed by the Russian defense ministry on Saturday.
The strengthening of ties between China and Russia has intensified since the onset of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. Both nations aim to diminish the influence of the United States and the West on the global stage.
“A detachment of vessels from the Pacific fleet will take part in the joint naval exercise — Interaction Maritime 2024,” the ministry announced via Telegram, sharing a video of the ships’ arrival.
The initial phase of the exercises is scheduled from Monday to Wednesday and will focus on anti-air and anti-submarine operations, involving Chinese aircraft trained in anti-submarine tactics.
While China and Russia frequently conduct joint military drills, their level of interoperability remains significantly lower than that of NATO, according to a report by the European Union Institute for Security Studies released earlier in July.
Last year, a comparable naval exercise took place near Alaska.