Amid escalating geopolitical tensions with the United States, China and Russia have launched a joint naval military exercise in the Sea of Japan. The three-day drill, named “Joint Sea-2025,” commenced on Sunday with the aim of strengthening strategic partnership and balancing the U.S.-led global order, according to Arab News.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense announced that the exercise is taking place near Russia’s Vladivostok port and involves extensive naval operations. These include submarine rescue missions, anti-submarine warfare, air defense drills, missile defense exercises, and maritime combat operations.
Alongside Russian warships, four Chinese vessels, including the guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, are participating in the joint maneuvers.
Japan has expressed serious concerns over the growing military cooperation between China and Russia. The Japanese Ministry of Defense warned that the increasing strategic collaboration between the two nations poses significant security challenges to the region.
It is worth noting that just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Beijing signed a “no limits” strategic partnership agreement. Since then, the two countries have regularly coordinated joint military exercises, sending a firm message to their adversaries, analysts say.