China and Russia pave way for naval exercise

China and Russia held an opening ceremony on Monday for a joint naval exercise in the Mediterranean code-named "Joint Sea 2015-I".

The exercise is the farthest one that the Chinese navy has taken part in outside home waters and is the latest sign of close cooperation between the neighbors.

Nine ships from both countries are taking part, including China's Linyi and Weifang missile frigates and the supply ship Weishanhu, which has just concluded anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia.

The ships, docked at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, will set sail for the Mediterranean on Tuesday night for the exercise from May 18 to 21, which will focus on navigational safety, said Dong Jun, the deputy chief of staff of the Chinese navy.

The exercise will involve maritime defense and replenishment, escort actions, operations to safeguard navigational security as well as a weapons drill, China National Radio quoted Dong as saying at the opening ceremony.

The Defense ministries in Beijing and Moscow said earlier that the exercise is not targeting any third party and is not related to the regional situation.

Observers said the vessels are drawn from the main forces of the two navies, and the exercise, which is defensive in nature, displays both countries' willingness to cooperate.

Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the People's Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the exercise primarily focuses on nontraditional threats, as the Mediterranean is an important shipping route, especially for Chinese trade with Europe.

The exercise could help the Chinese navy to improve and test its capability in distant seas, as well as gain experience in safeguarding global peace, said Zhang.

It is the second time the Chinese and Russian navies have jointly sailed the waters of the Mediterranean. The first was when vessels from the two countries successfully escorted a Syrian chemical weapons shipload in January last year, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The exercise follows a military parade in Moscow's Red Square on Saturday marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, with President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin standing together and reviewing soldiers from both countries.

Wen Bing, a researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, said the close military ties are in line with the stable development of the Sino-Russian relationship.

The two militaries have conducted joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea in recent years, as well as some exercises under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

zhaoshengnan@chinadaily.com.cn