Vladivostok, 12 September 2024 (TDI): China and Russia have started a series of consecutive joint drills and naval patrols, with advanced Chinese warships and warplanes arriving at the Peter the Great Bay near Vladivostok ahead of the exercises.
The Chinese flotilla participating in the Northern/Interaction-2024 joint drill reached the exercise location and joined the Russian forces on Monday, according to a statement by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) media center.
The Chinese naval contingent includes the Type 052D destroyer Xining, the Type 055 large destroyer Wuxi, the Type 054A frigate Linyi, the Type 903A replenishment ship Taihu, and three vessel-borne helicopters.
Meanwhile, the Russian side will deploy a range of naval assets, including large anti-submarine ships, corvettes, anti-submarine patrol aircraft, and helicopters.
Strategic Cooperation
The joint exercises are aimed at bolstering strategic cooperation between China and Russia and enhancing their capacity to address security threats.
The drills are scheduled to continue until the end of September, according to the PLA media center.
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that warships from both navies, participating in the Ocean-2024 strategic command post exercise, had met in the northern area of the Peter the Great Bay.
Footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry shows that the Chinese vessels involved in the Ocean-2024 drill are the same as those slated for the Northern/Interaction-2024 exercise.
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The Ocean-2024 drill, which began on Tuesday, is set to run until September 16.
Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of National Defense announced that the Northern/Interaction-2024 exercise would take place in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.
Additionally, a China-Russia naval flotilla is preparing for the fifth joint maritime patrol in the Pacific Ocean.
A Chinese military expert suggested that the two countries would likely complete the Ocean-2024 exercise first, followed by the Northern/Interaction-2024 drill, before commencing the joint maritime patrol.
Zhang Junshe, another military expert, described the series of intensive joint operations over such a short period as “rare but logical.”
He added that strategic cooperation between China and Russia contributes to global peace and stability, and the exercises are not directed at any third party.
Meanwhile, a China-Russia joint command center has been established after a contingent of Chinese personnel arrived at Knevichi Airport in Vladivostok via Y-20 transport aircraft.
