Maritime drill of China-Russia joint exercise starts

Chinese and Russian fleets set sail from a naval port in Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province, on Monday for a three-day maritime exercise.

As a key part of an ongoing China-Russia joint exercise, the drill will include subjects such as anchorage defense, joint reconnaissance and early warning, joint search and rescue, and joint air defense and missile defense, according to a military source.

Live weapon firing will be conducted to test the results of previous discussions and exchanges during the planning phase, the source said.

The Chinese and Russian navies recently conducted their fourth joint maritime patrol in sea areas of the western and northern parts of the Pacific Ocean, and entered a specific area of the South China Sea on Sunday.

The joint patrol, planned in accordance with an annual schedule and mutual agreement between both countries, does not target any third party and is unrelated to current international or regional situations.

The joint patrol fleet consists of Chinese missile destroyer Yinchuan and missile frigate Hengshui and a Russian frigate. The Chinese comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu also joined the fleet to provide the necessary replenishment.

It marks the fourth China-Russia joint maritime patrol since 2021.

Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, announced on Friday that Chinese and Russian armed forces started "Exercise Joint Sea-2024" in the waters and airspace near Zhanjiang. The exercise is scheduled to last until around mid-July.