China, Russia launch joint naval exercise

The Russian Defense Ministry announced Monday that Moscow and Beijing officially launched their annual joint naval exercise, Maritime Interaction-2026.

The ministry said in a statement that an opening ceremony took place at a Chinese naval base in the port of Qingdao and was attended by commanders of Russian Navy and Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy ships, as well as officers of the joint command headquarters.

The exercise is being led by Rear Admiral Sergei Sinko of Russia and Rear Admiral Qiu Wencheng of China, it said.

Addressing participants, Sinko said the annual drills were defensive in nature and were not directed against any third country.

Following the ceremony, officers from the joint headquarters and commanders of the participating ships began discussing tactical operations at sea and procedures for carrying out the planned exercises, the ministry said.

Chinese state media confirmed the start of the exercise, saying the two countries launched the "Joint Sea-2026" naval exercise at a military port in Qingdao, in eastern Shandong province.

The eight-day exercise will be carried out in three phases: force assembly, harbor-based planning, and at-sea operations, according to China Bugle, the official social media account of the Chinese military.

The Russian participating vessels include the Varyag missile cruiser, the frigate Surovy, the large submarine Ufa, and the rescue ship Igor Belousov.

The Chinese vessels participating in the exercise include the Kaifeng and Anshan destroyers, the frigate Wuhu, the comprehensive supply ship Kekexilihu, the submarine rescue ship Yangchenghu, and one submarine.

On the first day, the two navies conducted command and tactical coordination exercises as their joint command held "in-depth" discussions on the key drill subjects for the at-sea phase.

In the next phase, the participating warships will proceed to waters near Qingdao to conduct drills in areas such as joint reconnaissance, air and missile defense, and the use of weapons.

The annual exercise will run through July 13 in the Yellow Sea.

The drill is part of the annual cooperation plan between the two militaries and is aimed at jointly responding to security challenges and safeguarding regional peace and stability.