Russia and China are reportedly teaming up and carrying out joint air and sea drills in the Sea of Japan Sunday, according to Reuters.
A Chinese naval fleet reportedly set sail to join Russian Navy vessels as well as Kremlin air assets to carry out exercises in the Sea of Japan as part of a mutual interest in “safeguarding the security of strategic waterways,” Reuters reported, citing a statement issued by China’s defense ministry.
China, Russia to start joint air and sea drill in Sea of Japanhttps://t.co/0woQ4xY3mQ
— ✞The Watchmans Post✞ (@WatchmansPost) July 16, 2023
China sent out a total of five warships as well as four ship-borne helicopters to join the Russian military. The codename for the combined operations is North/Interaction-2023:
⚠️⚠️ China and Russia begin joint military exercises.
The Chinese flotilla, consisting of 5 warships and 4 naval helicopters, will meet the aggressor’s ships in the Sea of Japan. The code name of the exercises is “North/Interaction-2023”. They are allegedly aimed at expanding…— GeoInsider (@InsiderGeo) July 16, 2023
This is the sixth time Russian and Chinese militaries have patrolled the area since 2019, according to The Moscow Times. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: The Chinese Military Is Training Kindergarteners For War In Bootcamps Across The Country)
The weekend exercises mark the first time that both Russian air and sea military branches have engaged with Chinese maritime defense forces bilaterally.
The Chinese and Russian navies have been recently functioning in conjunction with each other regularly. Earlier this year the United States Coast Guard unexpectedly came across a joint drill carried out by the two militaries less than 100 miles off the coast of Alaska in the waters of the Bering Sea.
In February 2022, the Russian and Chinese governments agreed to a strategic partnership geared toward “countering the influence of the United States,” Reuters noted. (RELATED: American Music Manager Arrested, Detained On Drug Charges In Russia)
“Friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation,” the two countries stated in a joint press release, according to a separate Reuters report.
Beijing and Moscow have elevated their partnership since the war in Ukraine kicked off, describing it as having “no limits.”