China and Russia announced Friday that they are conducting joint naval exercises in the waters and airspace near Zhanjiang city in the south of China.
The exercises, titled Joint Sea-2024, began in early July and will last until the middle of the month, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.
Guided missile destroyers, guided missile frigates and suppliers have assembled on China’s Southern coast to participate in the exercise, according to Chinese state-run media CGTN.
"The ongoing exercise is to demonstrate the resolve and capabilities of the two sides in jointly addressing maritime security threats and preserving global and regional peace and stability," said Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry.
Joint Sea-2024 is part of the regular defense collaboration agreed upon between the two nations, according to the ministry.
This new round of naval exercises “will further deepen China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era," Zhang said.
Zhanjiang city, located in China’s southern Guangdong province, faces the South China Sea, a contentious waterway where China holds multiple territorial disputes with neighboring countries, including the Philippines.
The naval exercises were announced following the NATO summit in Washington, where countries cited the deepening strategic relationship between China and Russia and the two states’ attempts to "undercut and reshape the rules-based international order" as "a cause for profound concern."
China said NATO’s statement was "filled with Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric."
A spokesperson for China’s mission to the European Union said in a statement Thursday that the NATO statement was "provocative" and filled with "obvious lies and smears."
China is also hosting bilateral military exercises with Russian-ally Belarus on the border with Poland, which will last until July 19.
