China said on Friday it was conducting joint military drills with Russia along its southern coast after the U.S.-led NATO western defense alliance met in Washington and Japan warned of a growing threat from tight ties between Beijing and Moscow.
Beijing rejected the warning as “irresponsible and provocative” hours after China’s defence ministry said the two militaries would begin the drills, called “Maritime Integration 2024”, in “early July” and continue until the middle of this month.
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The ministry said the drills, which took place in the sea and air around the city of Zhanjiang in southern Guangdong province, were “to demonstrate the two countries’ determination and capability to jointly address maritime security threats and safeguard global and regional peace and stability.”
He added that the exercise “will further deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and Russia in a new era.”
The ministry said these were being carried out in line with Beijing and Moscow’s annual plan for military engagement.
The announcement came the same week that NATO leaders gathered in Washington to reaffirm support for Ukraine following Russian aggression.
China and Russia have grown closer in recent years, boasting that their friendship “knows no limits,” but both are adversaries when it comes to NATO.
NATO leaders said in a statement on Wednesday that China had “become a determined backer of Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine” and Beijing warned NATO “not to provoke confrontation.”
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“The NATO secretary-general’s irresponsible and provocative remarks against China are full of Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice and consist of groundless accusations, and China strongly condemns them,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday, according to Xinhua.
China has denied being a party to the Ukraine conflict but has been criticized by Western leaders for providing political and economic support to Russia, including through trade in both civilian and military goods.
Chinese troops are also conducting drills this week with Belarus, another Russian ally on NATO’s eastern border.
Japan said on Friday that joint activities between China and Russia near Japanese territory raise “serious concerns from the perspective of national security.”
