Moscow. December 19. INTERFAX - Russia and China will hold naval maneuvers with practical missile and artillery firing in the East China Sea from December 21 to 27, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
"A detachment of warships of the Pacific Fleet sailed from Vladivostok to participate in the joint Russian-Chinese naval exercise "Maritime Interaction-2022", which will be held from December 21 to 27 in the waters of the East China Sea," the report says.
According to the Russian military, during the active part of the exercise, joint missile and artillery firing, testing of joint anti-submarine actions with the practical use of weapons are planned.
"The main purpose of the exercise is to strengthen naval cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"In addition to the ship component, aircraft and helicopters of the Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy will be involved in the exercise," the report says.
Russia will be represented at the exercises by the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the cruiser Varyag, the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov, the corvettes Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Perfect.
From the naval forces of the People's Liberation Army of China, 2 destroyers, 2 patrol ships, an integrated supply ship, as well as a diesel submarine will be involved, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation 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 as part of the SCO exercises. 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, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Russia and China regularly conduct joint patrols of strategic aviation in the Asia-Pacific region.
On November 30, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian and Chinese strategic aircraft conducted many hours of patrol over the Japanese and East China Seas. The air group included strategic missile carriers Tu-95MS of the Russian Aerospace Forces and strategic bombers Hun-6k of the Chinese Air Force.
