BEIJING, China: China announced plans to hold joint military drills with Russia this month, signaling deepening ties between the two countries.
The “North-Joint 2024” exercises will involve naval and air forces operating in the skies and around the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, off Russia’s coast. According to China’s defence ministry, the drills aim to “deepen the strategic cooperation level” between their militaries and enhance their ability to jointly address security threats.
Both countries will deploy naval fleets to the Pacific Ocean for joint maritime patrols, and China will also join Russia’s “Ocean-2024” strategic exercise. The exact dates for these drills have not been specified.
This development follows joint drills in July near Zhanjiang, China, and comes amid criticism from NATO, which labeled China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response, Beijing warned NATO against “provoking confrontation.”
China and Russia have increased military and economic cooperation recently, opposing what they call “Western hegemony” and U.S. dominance in global affairs. They declared a “no limits” partnership in early 2022, just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the strengthening of economic ties with China during a recent meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
