China announced on Monday that it will conduct joint military drills with Russia later this month, further strengthening the military and economic ties between the two nations.
The drills, known as "North-Joint 2024," will take place in the skies and seas surrounding the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, according to China's Defense Ministry, as cited by The Moscow Times.
The exercises aim to improve strategic cooperation between the Chinese and Russian militaries and boost their ability to address shared security threats.
Naval fleets from both countries will patrol relevant areas of the Pacific Ocean, and China will also join Russia’s "Ocean-2024" strategic exercise.
Although the exact dates were not disclosed, this collaboration follows a similar drill held in July in southern China’s Guangdong province.
The timing of those exercises coincided with warnings from NATO leaders about China's growing role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sparking a sharp response from Beijing.
China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, is also set to visit Russia this week for a BRICS security meeting, as the two nations continue to challenge what they perceive as U.S. and Western dominance in global affairs.
Since declaring a "no limits" partnership just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, both countries have ramped up their military and economic ties. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the positive results of Russia’s economic relationship with China during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Moscow.
