China and Russia have launched naval exercises with live firing in South China Sea, reported Russian and Chinese state media quoted by "Reuters".
The opening of the exercises "Maritime Cooperation - 2024" took place in the Chinese port of Zhangjiang, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in the messaging application Telegram, reports News.bg.
Crews of ships from Russia's Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy are to conduct joint air defense and anti-submarine exercises, including the participation of PLA naval anti-submarine aviation, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.
Both countries are to deploy at least three vessels for the three-day drills, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper, as quoted by the People's Liberation Army Navy.
Tuesday brought a message from RIA, citing Russia's Pacific Fleet, that the ships had conducted artillery fire as part of the exercises.
These maneuvers follow the completion of a separate joint naval patrol in the North Pacific, in which Russian Pacific Fleet ships, including the corvettes Rezky and Gromky, play a key role.
Wang Guangzheng of the PLA's PLA Navy Southern Theater told Chinese state television CCTV that the China-Russia joint patrol will strengthen practical cooperation in multiple fields and strengthen the two countries' ability to jointly respond to maritime security threats.