China and Russia Begin Cooperative Naval Drills Amidst Tensions With NATO

(PatriotWise.com) — Russia and China launched their latest joint naval exercise from a southern Chinese port last Sunday, just days after NATO accused the Chinese of enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to the Chinese Defense Ministry, the two naval forces patrolled the western and northern Pacific and the exercise did not target a third party, nor did it have anything to do with regional or international situations.

The exercise, which was expected to run through mid-July, was aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of the two navies in preserving peace and stability while addressing security threats. Drills were expected to include sea strikes, anti-missile exercises, and air defense.

China’s Xinhua News Agency said that following the opening ceremony in Zhanjiang, the Russian and Chinese naval forces conducted on-map military simulation and coordinated tactical exercises.

The joint exercise comes only days after NATO’s 75th Anniversary Summit in Washington, in which the 32 member states released a 38-item Final Declaration that reiterated the alliance’s continued support for Ukraine and criticized China for its “no-limits partnership” with Russia, which NATO asserted made Beijing a “decisive enabler” in Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The NATO states urged China to uphold the UN Charter and stop its “material and political support” for Russia in the war.

The final declaration warned Beijing that there would be a negative impact on China’s reputation and interests if it continued to enable the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington responded to the declaration by again denying that Beijing has provided military support to either Russia or Ukraine.

Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said trade relations between China and Russia were “beyond reproach,” with everything “done aboveboard.” He accused NATO of using Ukraine to seek another Cold War.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, accused NATO of having sinister motivations for overstating China’s involvement in Ukraine and insisted that Beijing has maintained an objective and fair position on the war.