China and Russia conducted joint naval patrols in the North and Western Pacific, China’s Defense Ministry said Sunday, adding that the exercise was not “targeted” at any other country.
The two nations have grown closer in recent years, boasting that their friendship “knows no limits.” Both are enemies of NATO, the US-led Western defense alliance.
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Beijing has further strengthened diplomatic, economic and military ties with Moscow since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
China has never condemned the incursion and claims to be neutral in the conflict, but Western leaders have criticized it for providing political and economic support to Russia, including through trade in goods that have both civilian and military uses.
“In accordance with the China-Russia annual plans and agreements, Chinese and Russian naval vessels recently conducted the fourth joint maritime patrol in the Western and Northern Pacific Oceans,” China’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
“The operation did not target any third party and is unrelated to the current international or regional situation,” it added.
No details were released about the Pacific exercises, including the ships’ routes, their exact locations or the nature of the forces involved.
China said on Friday it was conducting “Maritime Joint 2024” drills with Russia along its southern coast.
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This came after NATO leaders declared that Beijing had “become a crucial backer of Moscow’s war in Ukraine” and Japan warned of a growing threat from strong ties between Beijing and Moscow.
Beijing has denied the criticism.
The ministry said the drills, which took place in the sea and airspace 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.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that two Russian warships had arrived in Zhanjiang to take part in joint naval exercises, the first phase of which will take place from Monday to Wednesday.
The Pacific region has become a hotbed of international tensions due to territorial disputes between Beijing and U.S.-backed neighbors including Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan.
China and Russia regularly conduct joint military exercises, but their levels of interoperability are significantly below those of NATO, the Institute for European Security Studies said in a report in early July.
In 2023, ships from both countries took part in naval exercises off the coast of Alaska, US.
