China-Russia navies begin maiden drill Admiral Vinogradov, a Udaloy-class destroyer of Russia's Pacific Fleet, arrives at a naval base...

China-Russia navies begin maiden drill

Admiral Vinogradov, a Udaloy-class destroyer of Russia's Pacific Fleet, arrives at a naval base in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 21, 2012. A China-Russia joint maritime drill is scheduled to take place from April 22 to 27 on the Yellow Sea. A welcome ceremony was held by China's Beihai Fleet at the naval base on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

Ding Yiping, deputy commander of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, delivers exercise tasks of the Russia-China joint naval exercise in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 22, 2012. The Russia-China joint naval exercise, scheduled to be held from April 22 to 27 in the Yellow Sea of the Pacific Ocean, officially started on Sunday morning. Photo: Xinhua

China and Russia yesterday launched a joint naval exercise in the Yellow Sea. The six-day drill, following six military exercises between the two nations since 2003, is their first formal joint navy drill.

The exercise, themed as "joint maritime defense and protection of navigation," marks a deepening of Sino-Russian military ties and will help ease the regional tensions and prevent outside intervention in regional issues, experts say.

A total of more than 4,000 servicemen and 16 vessels and two submarines from the Chinese navy, including a missile destroyer, missile frigate, support vessel and hospital ship, will participate. They will be joined by 13 aircraft and five helicopters, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Another four warships as well as three supply ships from Russia's Pacific Fleet, including the missile cruiser Varyag, flagship of the naval force dubbed as "aircraft carrier killer," will join them.

"The drill has sent a message, one that hopes other countries in the region will cautiously deal with conflicts and avoid worsening tensions," Li Jie, a senior researcher at the Chinese Naval Research Institute, told the Global Times yesterday, adding that both sides have sent their top fleet elements.

"The exercises will involve various simulated missions, including joint rescue, navigation protection, defense from air and sea attacks, anti-hijacking and escorting," Wang Jianxun, a captain of a vessel in the drill, told the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily on Saturday.

The region around the Yellow Sea has seen rising tensions in recent years, including the nuclear issue of North Korea and sovereignty disputes between Russia and Japan.

These were further heightened when the US launched several military drills with South Korea after it announced a greater presence in the Asia Pacific region.

Li said the Russian navy, with a superiority underwater that can confront the US navy, is a suitable partner for China to learn from, adding that Russia has also realized the significance of boosting its presence in the Asia Pacific region.

The drill has sparked some speculations and worries on the expanding collaboration of China and Russia, including the two countries' double veto on a draft resolution on Syria at the UN General Assembly in February.

"In the future, the bilateral relationship will intensify. The cooperation will help boost the implementation of international principles and break the intervention of outside powers in regional issues," Peng Guangqian, a PLA major general and an expert in strategic affairs, told the Global Times.

Qian Lihua, director of the Foreign Affairs Office under the Defense Ministry, said in an opinion published in the People's Daily Saturday, that the drill did not target a third party, nor pose a threat to other countries.

"The drill shows the deepening of Sino-Russian ties and symbolizes that mutual military strategic trust has reached a new level," Qian said.

On March 29, Yang Yujun, spokesman of Chinese National Defense Ministry, told reporters that China and Russia would carry out a joint navy exercise between April and May as agreed during a visit by Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the PLA, to Russia in August last year.

"The drill is a chance for the Chinese navy to practice tackling new challenges and threats. As Chinese interests expand, it is essential to build up a powerful navy, especially given escalated marine disputes in recent years," Li said.

Since April 16, the Philippines and the US have begun a 12-day joint military exercise in Manila, with 7,000 servicemen taking part.

The Philippine foreign secretary Alberto del Rosario yesterday called on other nations involved in the marine dispute in the South China Sea to take a stand to confront China.

"The Philippines has relied on the US as its means of support in defiance of Chinese warnings. When building our own navy, we should take some other measures to deter and contain such provocations, including economic sanctions and regular patrolling," Li said.

Agencies contributed to this story