China said on Wednesday, July 30th, that it would conduct joint military drills with Russia in August, including sea and air exercises near Vladivostok and joint naval patrols in the Pacific.
Alongside economic and political ties, Moscow and Beijing have deepened military cooperation in recent years as both countries seek to counterbalance what they see as a United States-led global order.
The drills, named Joint Sea-2025, are part of regular bilateral cooperation plans and “not directed against third parties,” Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang told a press conference on Wednesday.
After the drills, they will also conduct naval patrols in “relevant waters of the Pacific,” Zhang said.
The Joint Sea-2025 drills are due to take place ahead of a planned visit to China by Russian President Vladimir Putin beginning late August.
Putin will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as well as celebrations, including a military parade, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
He will also hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
