A Russian naval squadron arrived in the port of Zhanjiang on Monday, in China’s south Guangdong Province, to participate in the maneuver, along with Chinese maritime forces.
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Moscow and Beijing have begun eight days of naval drills involving Chinese bombers, Russian submarines and marines from both navies in the hotly-contested South China Sea.
These are largest joint operations in history by the two navies, Chinese navy spokesman Liang Yang said.
The two countries will carry out defence, rescue and anti-submarine operations, as well as “island seizing” and other activities, it added.
This year, 10 ships from the Chinese navy, some of them from the Nanhai Fleet, and 5 from Russian Federation are taking part in the week-long exercise.
China’s navy would contribute 10 ships, including destroyers, frigates, amphibious ships, supply vessels and submarines, along with 11 fixed-wing aircraft, eight helicopters, 160 marines and amphibious armour, it said.
Tensions have been running high in the area after China claimed sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea and began building a network of artificial islands with military infrastructure.
The drills were “routine” and not directed at any other countries, Chinese Navy said in a statement on Sunday.
In July, an arbitration court ruling said that there was no historical basis for China for its sovereignty claims on the South China Sea. China dismissed the ruling, saying it did not recognize the tribunal’s authority to resolve the dispute.
The forces are expected to keep a distance from the disputed Spratly Islands, where China has drawn criticism for building reefs up into artificial islands.
China has attacked Western media reports critical of the drill. “The ongoing joint drill is demonstrating this level of trust between China and Russian Federation”. -China Economic and Security Review Commission warned the Beijing is expanding its ability to strike at such American interests as Guam, where the US has some 5,000 soldiers and considerable forces.
“Joint Sea 2016” is scheduled to run until next Monday.
Last year, the drill was conducted in the Mediterranean in May, and in the Peter the Great Gulf, the waters off the Clerk Cape and the Sea of Japan in August.
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But tensions in the South China Sea are clearly on officials’ minds. “We also expressed concern over USA attempts to strengthen its military and political clout in the Asia-Pacific region”.
