China and Russia will hold their annual joint naval exercises later this month, followed by joint patrols in unspecified areas of the Pacific Ocean, Beijing's Defence Ministry announced on Sunday.
The two countries, which have strengthened economic and diplomatic ties in recent years, will take part in the Joint Sea-2026 exercise in waters and airspace off Qingdao, a major military port city in eastern China.
According to the ministry, naval forces from both countries will participate in the drills before selected units conduct a joint maritime patrol in relevant areas of the Pacific.
Beijing said the exercise is aimed at jointly addressing security challenges and safeguarding regional peace and stability.
No details were provided regarding the scale of the deployment.
The exercises come around two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China, where he described bilateral relations as having reached an "unprecedented high level", while Chinese President Xi Jinping praised the two countries' "unwavering" partnership.
China and Russia have held their Joint Sea exercises annually since 2012. Last year's drills took place near the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok and were also followed by joint patrols in the Pacific.
The growing military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow continues to attract scrutiny from Western governments as Russia's war in Ukraine continues.
While China has never condemned Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and regularly calls for peace talks, Beijing insists it remains neutral in the conflict.
Many of Ukraine's Western allies, including the United States, have accused China of supporting Moscow's war effort.
Source: CNA
