China-Russia military cooperation important to uphold peace, stability: spokesman

BEIJING -- China-Russia military cooperation plays an important role in safeguarding the two countries' sovereignty and security, and upholding international and regional peace and stability, a Chinese defense spokesman said Friday.

Jiang Bin, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the statement in response to a media query about the recent China-Russia joint maritime exercise and a joint patrol.

Jiang confirmed that participating troops successfully accomplished all tasks during the "Joint Sea-2026" exercise and that the two sides have transitioned to joint maritime patrols.

The activities are part of the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries, which aim to strengthen capabilities of the two militaries in jointly dealing with maritime security threats, he told media, adding that they are not related to the current international or regional situation.

Jiang reiterated that China-Russia military cooperation follows the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party.

"We hope relevant parties view China-Russia military cooperation objectively and rationally, and stop making groundless speculation and cease smearing and hyping," he said.