The Chinese military has announced that it would hold an annual naval exercise and conduct a maritime joint patrol with Russian forces next month.

Defense Ministry Spokesperson, Zhang Xiaogang disclosed that the Joint Sea 2025 exercise would be held in the air and seas near the Russian port city of Vladivostok, which lies across the sea from Japan’s west coast.

He didn’t provide specific dates for the drill or the joint patrol in the Pacific, which he said would be the sixth of its kind.

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.

Zhang added that the upcoming exercises, which are part of the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries, are not directed at any third party, and are unrelated to current international and regional situations.

In July last year, the two countries’ militaries also held joint exercises in the waters and airspace adjacent to Zhanjiang, located in south China’s Guangdong Province.

Zhang, speaking at a monthly press conference, criticized ongoing drills that the US Air Force is conducting with Japan and other partners in the western Pacific.

According to the US military, resolute Force Pacific is the largest contingency-response exercise ever conducted by the Air Force in the region.

“The US has been blindly flexing muscles in the Asia-Pacific region and attempting to use military drills as a pretext to gang up, intimidate and pressure other countries, and undermine peace and stability in the region.”
Zhang Xiaogang

The Air Force has said the exercise will train its forces to maintain readiness and execute missions under stress to demonstrate their ability to defend the United States and partner nations in the Pacific.

Japan’s Defense Ministry said in an annual report earlier this month that China’s growing military cooperation with Russia poses serious security concerns.

China-Russia Drills To Occur Ahead Of Putin’s Visit

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 Organization 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.

The Chinese and Russian governments have deepened their ties in recent years, with China providing an economic lifeline to Russia in the face of Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

European leaders asked China again last week to use its influence to pressure Russia to end the war, now in its fourth year, but there was no sign that Beijing would do so.

China has never denounced Russia’s more than three-year military war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine’s allies believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow.

China insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.

Xi told Russia’s Foreign Minister earlier in July that their countries should “strengthen mutual support” during a meeting in Beijing.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker has attacked China for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has accused Beijing of waging a “proxy war” to distract the West.

“China thinks they’re fighting a proxy war through Russia. They want to keep the US and our allies occupied with this war, so that we cannot focus on our other strategic challenges.”
Matthew Whitaker

Ambassador Whitaker’s comments came amid growing international scrutiny of China’s role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.