Two Russian combat corvettes, the military sea monsters Gromki and Rezki, arrived in the Chinese port of Zhanjiang on Saturday. They will begin joint naval exercises with the Chinese military on Monday, July 15, the Russian Defense Ministry announced. Named “Maritime Interaction 2024”, they consist of a three-day practical phase, which will last until Wednesday, during which joint air defense and anti-submarine warfare maneuvers are planned.
“The ongoing exercise is to demonstrate the determination and capabilities of both sides to jointly address maritime security threats and safeguard global and regional peace and stability,” said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry. He also welcomed the new collaboration that will “further deepen the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era.” “Maritime Interaction 2024” is an example of the regular defense collaboration agreed between the two nations, according to the ministry.
But for several months, which worries NATO, Russia and China have continued to get closer and strengthen their cooperation on the military level, in terms of equipment as well as exercises. The two countries now claim “limitless friendship”, motivated by their common desire to compete with the Western bloc and the influence of the United States on the world geopolitical scene. China is also organizing bilateral military exercises with Belarus – an ally of Russia – on the border with Poland, which will last until July 19.
“Level of interoperability lower than that of NATO”
The new round of Sino-Chinese exercises was announced the day after the 75th anniversary NATO summit in Washington, during which member countries devoted a day to the “deep concerns” caused by the two states’ desire to “undermine and reshape the rules-based international order.”
While they regularly increase the complexity of their joint maneuvers, “their level of interoperability remains largely inferior to that of NATO, note researchers from the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) in a report at the beginning of July,” reports the Belgian media The Free.
According to these researchers, the Sino-Russian exercises also tend to move towards the East, in the East China Sea, a hotbed of growing international tensions around Taiwan in particular, while China has intensified political and military pressure by sending a record number of planes, drones and ships, calling for an “inevitable unification” with the autonomously governed island.