Russia, China Launch Joint Naval Drills Near Korean Peninsula

AP Photo/Gregory

On Monday, a group of Chinese warships arrived Russia’s Far Eastern port of Vladivostok to participate in the second stage of the joint naval drills “Maritime Cooperation-2017”, Spokesman for Russia’s Pacific Fleet Captain First Rank Vladimir Matveyev said, according to the Russian state-run news agency TASS.

The first stage of the naval exercises took place in the Baltic Sea in July. The second stage will take place in the period between September 18 and September 26.

The coastal stage is scheduled to be held in Vladivostok on September 18-21. It will involve Russian and Chinese marines. The sea stage will be held in the Sea of Japan and the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk in the period between September 22 and September 26.

The Chinese Navy is represented by the destroyer Shijiazhuang, the frigate Daqing, the submarine support ship Changdao. From the Russian side, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs, the corvette Sovershenny, the rescue vessel Igor Belousov, two diesel submarines and support ships are involved.