Moscow. December 21. INTERFAX - Naval maneuvers of Russia and China with practical missile and artillery firing will start in the East China Sea on Wednesday.
The Russian-Chinese naval exercise "Maritime Interaction-2022" will be held in the waters of the East China Sea from December 21 to 27, the Russian Defense Ministry said earlier.
On December 19, the Russian military announced the departure from Vladivostok for the exercises of a detachment of ships of the Pacific Fleet.
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, 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.
Two destroyers, two patrol ships, a complex supply ship and a diesel submarine will be involved from the Chinese Navy, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
According to the ministry, 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.
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.
