China and Russia begin joint naval exercises, days after NATO allies labelled Beijing a war supporter of Ukraine

BEIJING – The navies of China and Russia began joint exercises at a military port in southern China on Sunday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine.

The Chinese Defense Ministry said in a brief statement that forces from both sides had recently patrolled the western and northern Pacific and that the operation had nothing to do with international or regional situations and was not directed against third parties.

The exercise, which began in Guangdong province on Sunday and is expected to last until mid-July, is designed to demonstrate the navy’s capabilities in dealing with security threats and maintaining peace and stability at the global and regional levels, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday, adding that the exercise will also include missile defense drills, naval strikes and air defense.

Xinhua news agency reported that Chinese and Russian navies conducted military simulation and tactical coordination exercises on the map after the opening ceremony in Zhanjiang city.

The joint exercises came immediately after recent tensions between China and its NATO allies last week.

The sternly worded final communiqué adopted by the 32 NATO members at their summit in Washington made it clear that China is becoming the military alliance’s focus. Beijing was described as a “key enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine. European and North American members and their partners in the Indo-Pacific increasingly see common security concerns on the part of Russia and its Asian backers, especially China.

In response, China accused NATO of seeking security at the expense of others and urged the alliance not to bring the same “chaos” to Asia. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stressed that China has a fair and objective attitude towards the war in Ukraine.

Last week, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter on routine patrol in the Bering Sea also encountered several Chinese military vessels in international waters but within the U.S. economic zone, American officials said. The crew spotted three vessels about 200 kilometers north of the Amchitka Passage in the Aleutian Islands, which mark a separation and connection between the North Pacific and the Bering Sea.

Later, a fourth ship was sighted about 135 kilometers north of the Amukta Pass.

The US side said the Chinese warships were operating within international rules and norms.