Exercícios militares conjuntos cada vez mais frequentes entre Rússia e China. Jamais vistos.
A squadron of Russia’s Navy Pacific Fleet has arrived in Shanghai to participate in joint Russian-Chinese naval training dubbed ‘Joint Sea-2014’. The drills in the northern part of the East China Sea start on Tuesday and will go on until May 26. The Russian squadron consists of six battleships and support vessels: the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, missile cruiser Varyag, anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, large landing ship Admiral Nevelskoy, anti-surface destroyer Bystry, tanker Ilim and ocean tug Kalar.
The Chinese Navy will be represented in the naval drills with six battleships. All in all, during the active phase of the drills set for May 22-25, the maneuvers involve 14 ships, two submarines, nine warplanes, six shipboard helicopters and two operational detachments of marines from both sides. All ships taking part in the training exercise are moored at the Usun naval military base in Shanghai. A delegation of Russian Navy officers has already joined their Chinese colleagues to compare notes on the plan of the drills. Chinese Vice Admiral Tian Zhong revealed to journalists that the major difference of the starting drills will be the increased difficulty of joint operations of battleships on both sides.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to oversee the start of the week-long exercises, dubbed Joint Sea 2014, on May 20. At least 16 Chinese and Russian warships, including two submarines, will take part in the drill. The military maneuvers will include simulated attacks, escort of ships, and search and rescue operations. Putin, who is due to arrive in China on Tuesday on an official visit, said in an interview that Russia-China ties have reached their highest level in history.
