China’s Ministry of National Defense has announced it will hold joint naval and air drills with Russia starting this month, underlining the close ties between the militaries of the two countries.
The ministry said the “Northern United-2024” exercises would take place in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk farther north, but gave no date or further details.
Announcing the drills, China said they were designed to improve strategic cooperation between the two countries and “strengthen their ability to jointly deal with security threats”.
The notice also said the two navies would cruise together in the Pacific, the fifth time they have done so, and together take part in Russia’s “Great Ocean-24” exercise. No further details were provided.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense said it had observed five Chinese navy vessels “sailing north-eastwards through the Tsushima Strait towards the Sea of Japan from Saturday to Sunday”.
The Japan Self-Defense Forces “conducted vigilance monitoring and intelligence gathering” with a vessel and patrol plane, the ministry said in a statement on Monday, releasing photos of the ships.
The Tsushima Strait lies between South Korea and Japan and connects the South China Sea and the Sea of Japan, known as the East Sea to Koreans, and is not within Japan’s territorial waters.
