Chinese, Russian navy, air forces to hold joint drills again in Sea of Japan

Second such joint drills in as many years come amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over support for US efforts to pressure China

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China and Russia have pledged to “deepen mutual military trust and cooperation” through means including expanding the scale of joint military exercises and carrying out regular joint maritime and air patrols. Photo: People’s Liberation Army of China

Published: 7:20pm, 9 Sep 2024Updated: 8:00pm, 9 Sep 2024

Russian naval and air forces will join the Chinese military for drills later this month in the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, and Sea of Okhotsk, as tensions simmer between Beijing and Tokyo.

The “Northern/Interaction-2024” exercises aim to “deepen the level of strategic coordination between the Chinese and Russian militaries, and enhance their ability to jointly respond to security threats”, China’s defence ministry announced on Monday.

Additionally, Chinese and Russian naval fleets will hold their fifth joint patrol in the Pacific, and China will take part in Russia’s “Ocean-2024” strategic exercise, according to the ministry statement, which did not mention the dates for any of the drills.

Northern/Interaction-2024 marks the second time that both the Russian navy and air force will join routine drills with their Chinese counterparts in strategic waters near Japan.

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China and Russia host joint navy exercises in Sea of Japan to deepen military cooperation

Last year, China sent five warships and four ship-borne helicopters from the eastern port of Qingdao to rendezvous with Russian forces for the “Northern/Interaction-2023” drills held between July 20 to 23.