Chinese warships leave for Sea of Japan for joint drills with Russia

A total of 23 vessels and two submarines will participate in the Joint Sea-2015 (II) exercise, which is to take place in the Peter the Great Gulf, waters off the Clerk Cape, and the Sea of Japan.

Late last year, following the announcement of the Joint Sea 2015 series, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the U.S. was a factor in China and Russia conducting more military-to-military exercises in the Pacific.

The Russians and the Chinese have responded by strengthening their military deterrence, which includes Moscow’s move to alter its naval doctrine, and Beijing’s focus on staging naval manoeuvres in the Pacific, including the troubled South China Sea.

A source close to the operation said the navies of the two countries will join forces to simulate anti-submarine combat and air defense and other relevant missions.

Dispelling speculation from the Western media, analysts said the exercises are defensive in nature and that military cooperation between China and Russia does not intend to challenge the regional status-quo.

The presence of the 200 marines, which each side will field, underscores the decision by the two forces to stage a joint beach landing, an intent that has grabbed attention on account of several island disputes in the Pacific.

The eight-day maneuvers marked the first joint naval drill of China and Russia.

“We believe that the main goal of pooling our effort is to shape a collective regional security system”, Shoigu said in November. Chinese officials say the drills are not targeted at any specific nation.

The U.S., Japan and the Philippines recently did a joint military exercise in Subic Bay.

The Peter the Great Gulf is the biggest gulf of the East Sea and is close to the borders of North Korea, China and Russia.

Seven Chinese vessels including the Shenyang destroyer arrived at Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, the state-run Tass news service reported Thursday, citing Vice Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov, deputy commander of the Russian Navy.