Moscow. October 14th. INTERFAX - Joint exercises in the Sea of Japan demonstrate a high level of military cooperation between Russia and China, according to retired Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the General Staff of the Russian Navy.
"This is now relevant against the background of the creation of the AUKUS block by Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom," Kravchenko told Interfax on Thursday.
On October 13, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev called the creation of the AUKUS military alliance an "adventure" by the United States, undermining stability in Asia.
"This exercise cannot be called large, it is average in scale. Each side in this exercise has its own goals, including China," Kravchenko said, referring to the situation around Taiwan.
A joint Russian-Chinese naval exercise "Maritime Interaction-2021" is being held in the Sea of Japan from October 14 to 17, the press service of the Pacific Fleet (TOPF) of the Russian Federation reported on Thursday.
The Russian Navy has sent a large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleev, corvettes Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Loud, two base minesweepers, a submarine Ust-Bolsheretsk, a missile boat and a rescue tug to these exercises, the TOPH reported.
From the Naval Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), destroyers "Kun Ming" and "Nan Chang", corvettes "Bin Zhou" and "Liu Zhou", as well as a diesel submarine, an integrated supply ship and a rescue vessel are involved. The day before, a detachment of Chinese ships arrived in the anchorage area in the waters of Peter the Great Bay.
12 planes and helicopters of the Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy are involved in the Russian-Chinese exercise, the press service of the Pacific Fleet said.
"In the course of practical actions, the crews of the ships of the two countries will work out joint tactical maneuvering, mine protection of detachments, conduct artillery firing at sea targets, search for and block a submarine of a conditional enemy in the designated area," the TOPH reported.
For the first time, naval maneuvers involving the fleets of the Russian Federation and China took place in August 2005 in the Yellow Sea. Then they were part of the large-scale military exercises "Peace Mission - 2005" organized under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Since 2012, the annual specialized naval exercises "Maritime Interaction" have been held outside the SCO framework, aimed at strengthening the combat capability of Russia and China to jointly confront threats at sea.
