China and Russia Conduct Joint Naval Drills in Sea of Japan
Jose Nino
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Towards the end of July, China and Russia successfully concluded a four-day naval joint exercise in the Sea of Japan.
According to a report by The Global Times, this is just the first stage of joint naval and air patrol exercises that China and Russia are conducting. The next phase will take place in the Pacific Ocean.
The drills showcase the countries’ increasing levels of military cooperation in the face of growing security threats coming from the United States.
A closing ceremony took place on board the Type 052D destroyer Qiqihar of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. This vessel served as the command ship for the drills, per a press release published by the PLA Navy on July 24, 2023.
During the four days of intense joint military exercises, the naval and air forces from China and Russia carried out multiple training objectives which included sea-air integrated escort and deterrence expulsion, while they simultaneously switched between joint formations and combat groups and practiced live fire surface-to-air shooting using ship-based weapons systems, per the press release.
The drills reached the expected goals of heightening mutual trust, strengthening friendly relations between them, and increasing capabilities, the PLA Navy stated.
“The exercises marked a major China-Russia joint combat operation in safeguarding the security of strategic maritime routes, as well as an important move in implementing the two militaries’ sea-air integrated joint capabilities,” declared Rear Admiral Qiu Wensheng, the commander of the Northern/Interaction-2023 exercise.
Qiu added that the drills showcased the two Eurasian giants’ military cooperation in addition to promoting stability in Northeast Asia.
The two countries also routinely hold joint air strategic patrols. In June 2023, the sixth patrol was carried out.
Such drills will grow with more frequency with the US fully committing to a dual containment policy of confronting both China and Russia. That’s what happens when you have a short-sighted foreign policy being pursued by foreign policy elites in DC.
If there is no drastic change in foreign policy, the US could find itself in a great power conflict with two nuclear powers — a catastrophic scenario for the future of humanity
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