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China, Russia conclude maritime drills
CHINESE and Russian navies recently finished off their 18-day joint exercise around the Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk. Following the conclusion of Northern/Interaction-2024, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Russian Navy launched their fifth joint maritime patrol in the Pacific.
The closing ceremony for Northern/Interaction was held aboard the PLAN Type 052D guided missile destroyer Xining on Sept 27. A China Ministry of National Defense (MND) statement read, “the exercise covered a range of training subjects, including naval and air escort, guard and defence, air and missile defence. All subjects were combat-oriented and were completed successfully”.
Beginning on Sept 10, more than 10 naval vessels were joined by over two dozen aircraft throughout the exercises. A spokesperson for the MND added that it is the first time both navies carried out two joint maritime patrols within one year, “reflecting a high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries’ militaries”. The previous joint patrol was held just months ago in July, while the preceding ones were held in October 2021, September 2022, and July 2023 respectively.
In another development, Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighters warded off a Russian Ilyushin Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft by deploying flares. Announced on Sept 23, the Russian aircraft had reportedly entered Japanese airspace as many as three times, prompting the JASDF to undertake such measures for the first time despite repeated radio warnings. Japan’s defence minister Minoru Kihara said the encounter could be linked to Northern/Interaction drills in the vicinity.-shp/adj/dl (Pix:MND, JASDF)
