Chinese naval vessels set sail this weekend to participate in jointmanoeuvres with the Russian military, Chinese defence authorities saidSunday.
Ties between Moscow and Beijing have grown closer since Russia invadedUkraine last year, a move China has not condemned.
The two have ramped up defence contacts, including joint military drills inrecent months.
The latest air-and-sea exercises will take place in the Sea of Japan andare aimed at “safeguarding strategic maritime routes”, the Chinese Ministryof Defence had said Saturday.
The Chinese military has sent five warships, including a guided-missiledestroyer, it added in the statement published Sunday, without specifyingwhen the drills will take place.
China and Russia carried out a joint air patrol over the Seas of Japan andEast China last month, and the flights prompted South Korea to deployfighter jets as a precaution.
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It was the sixth such China-Russia patrol in the area since 2019.
China’s defence minister Li Shangfu this month advocated boosting navalcooperation with Russia.
Beijing has emerged as Moscow’s most important ally since the Ukraine warbegan.
China says it is a neutral party in the conflict but its refusal to condemnthe invasion has led to accusations from Ukraine’s allies that it isfavouring Russia. APP/AFP
