Russia, China conduct joint maritime patrols in Pacific Ocean

Russian and Chinese navy ships have been jointly conducting maritime patrols in the Pacific Ocean involving naval exercises in order to counter air strikes, Russia's defence ministry said on Friday (August 18).

"A detachment of ships of the Russian Navy and the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy is currently operating in the waters of the East China Sea and has travelled more than 6,400 nautical miles since the start of patrolling," the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

Russian state news agency TASS released a video that showed nine large vessels sailing in a diamond formation as crew members stood to attention on deck.

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The defence ministry further said that the drills also included practicing the "replenishment of fuel reserves by ships and the transfer of cargo on the go", adding that the joint detachment of ships had covered more than 6,400 nautical miles since the start of the exercises.

"During this period, the sailors of the two countries conducted anti-submarine exercises, repulsed an air strike by a mock enemy, conducted rescue training at sea, and perfected the skills of taking off and landing helicopters on the decks of warships," the ministry statement read.

Moscow-Beijing ties

In recent years, the ties between Russia and China have strengthened, as the war with Ukraine has ravaged Russia's relationship with Western governments.

On Monday (August 14), a Chinese defence ministry spokesperson said that naval fleets were conducting maritime patrols in the western and northern regions of the Pacific Ocean.

"These actions are not aimed at a third party and are not related to the current international and regional situation," the spokesperson added.

Earlier this week, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu visited Russia where he attended the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security and called for closer military cooperation.

Recently, Moscow and Beijing have increased their bilateral defence collaboration as they carried out a joint air patrol over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea in the month of July.

(With inputs from agencies)

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