Russian and Chinese ships took advantage of the joint naval exercises in the South China Sea this week and successfully rehearsed anti-submarine operations, naval battles and providing anti-aircraft defense to vessels, Reuters reported, citing the Russian news agency TASS, BTA reported.
From a statement of the Russian Pacific Fleet, it is clear that the exercises "Maritime Cooperation 2024" are over.
The opening ceremony of the Russian-Chinese military exercises took place in the Chinese port of Zhangjiang, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced earlier this week.
According to the Russian Pacific Fleet, the navies of the two countries have conducted about 30 combat exercises, including joint artillery fire on the high seas, as well as against coastal and aerial targets, and joint search and rescue operations on the high seas.
"Their main objective was to strengthen naval cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, as well as to support peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,", the Pacific Fleet said in a statement.
Before the exercises, the two countries also carried out a joint naval patrol in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, according to Reuters.
China claims control of almost all of the South China Sea, including the disputed "Second Thomas Shoal," where the Philippines keeps a rusting warship deliberately stranded to bolster its claim and which is at the center of a recent standoff between the two countries.
The rising tensions prompted US officials to remind Beijing that the US stands firm in its mutual defense commitment with the Philippines.
China and Russia, for their part, announced a partnership "without borders" in 2022, when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing just days before the start of the invasion of Ukraine.