Russia and China finish successful South China Sea joint naval drills, TASS cites Russian Navy
South China Sea this week to successfully rehearse anti-submarine operations, naval combat and providing air defence to vessels, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Thursday.
TASS cited a statement from Russia's Pacific Fleet as saying that the drills — dubbed 'Maritime Cooperation 2024 — had now finished.
The opening ceremony of the exercise took place in the Chinese port of Zhanjiang, the Russian defence ministry said earlier this week.
Russia's Pacific Fleet was cited as saying that the two navies had carried out about 30 combat exercises, including joint artillery firing at sea, coastal and air targets, and joint search and rescue operations at sea.
«Their main purpose was to strengthen naval cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China as well as to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region,» the Fleet was quoted as saying.
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The drills follow the completion of a separate joint naval patrol in the north Pacific, which the Russian defence ministry said earlier involved a detachment of Russia's Pacific Fleet ships, including two corvettes, the Rezky and the Gromky.
China claims control over almost the entire South China Sea, including the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines maintains a
