China announced Friday that it would conduct joint military exercises with Russia in the south of its territory, after a NATO summit at which Tokyo warned of the growing threat posed by closer Sino-Russian relations.
The two militaries began the “Joint Sea-2024” drills in “early July,” which are expected to last until mid-July, China’s Defense Ministry said. The exercises, at sea and in the air around Zhanjiang, a city in southern China’s Guangdong Province, are aimed at “demonstrating the determination and capabilities of both sides to jointly address maritime security threats and safeguard global and regional peace and stability,” the ministry said.
They “will help deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia for the new era,” the ministry said.
These maneuvers are taking place in accordance with the annual plan of military engagement of Beijing and Moscow, he said.
The announcement comes the same week as a NATO summit in Washington, where allies reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion.
China and Russia, which have grown closer in recent years and present their friendship as “limitless”, both have hostile relations with NATO.
Leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance expressed concern about China’s assistance to Russia in its war against Ukraine during the summit.
In response, China urged NATO to stop “inciting confrontation” between blocs.
The Chinese military also conducted joint exercises this week with Belarus, another Russian ally, on NATO’s eastern border.
Japan stressed on Friday that joint military activities by China and Russia near its territory constitute a “serious concern from the perspective of national security.”