The Russian and Chinese navies have taken joint military cooperation a step further by launching patrol missions in the Asia-Pacific region. The two countries' warships started joint patrols in the regional waters after completing the 'Sea Interaction-2026' exercise.
According to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry's press service on Tuesday, July 14, the closing ceremony of the exercise was held at the Qingdao naval base of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy.
At the ceremony, Rear Admiral Sergey Sinko, the leader of the Russian side of the exercise, and Rear Admiral Qiu Wensheng, the leader of the Chinese side, each made a speech. Rear Admiral Sinko said that the experience gained would be in demand in the future naval activities of the two countries and would significantly contribute to strengthening mutual trust and Russia-China cooperation.
The ministry's statement said that immediately after the closing ceremony, some ships headed to the Yellow Sea, where a joint Russian-Chinese fleet was formed. This joint fleet then began patrolling the Asia-Pacific region's waters.