Joint Chinese, Russian naval exercise strengthens partnership, ministry says

The recent joint exercise between the Chinese and Russian navies has further deepened the two nations' comprehensive strategic partnership, according to Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, a spokesman for China's Defense Ministry.

Tan said at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday afternoon that the weeklong Joint Sea 2022 naval exercise, which concluded on Tuesday, took place in waters east of the area stretching from Zhoushan to Taizhou, two cities in East China's Zhejiang province.

The bilateral operation, the 11th of its kind since 2012, was arranged according to an annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries and involved tactical maneuvers like an area blockade, air defense formations, search and rescue practice and anti-submarine strikes.

"The exercise has represented the level of strategic mutual trust and the depth of cooperation in campaign and tactical maneuvers," Tan said. "After 10 years of joint exercises, there has been a set of well-designed collaboration methods, communication and contact rules, and organization mechanisms."

During the joint exercise, troops from both sides also participated in various types of military practice engagements to protect the security and smooth passage of vessels in strategic maritime routes. The efforts demonstrated the determination and capability of the two sides to jointly respond to maritime security threats and maintain international and regional peace and stability, the spokesman said.

Five ships from the People's Liberation Army Navy — including the CNS Baotou, a Type 052DL guided-missile destroyer, and the CNS Binzhou, a Type 054A guided-missile frigate — participated in the exercise, along with submarines, early-warning aircraft and helicopters from the Chinese navy.

Five warships from the Russian navy also took part, including the Slava-class missile cruiser Varyag, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, and the Udaloy-class guided-missile destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov.