Russian-Chinese military drills are held in the north-western part of the South China Sea near the coast of Chinese province of Guangdong. They involve 18 warships and support vessels, 21 units of aircraft, more than 250 marines and 15 pieces of military equipment. Moscow and Beijing claim that these maneuvers are not directed against other states and are not associated with changes in the military-political situation in the region - it is just another Russian-Chinese contribution to strengthening of security in the Asia-Pacific region.
US agency Breitbart News Network explains why these maneuvers cause concern of some countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping boasted of a closer, more robust bilateral relationship with Russia Wednesday, remarking that he and counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed to “strengthen mutual support on major issues” as the two nations engage in military exercises in the South China Sea. “No matter how the international situation or the external environment changes, both countries need to work hard to realize their goals of development and revitalization and to safeguard world peace and stability as well as international equity and justice,” Chinese state news outlet Xinhua quotes Xi as stating. Referring to a conversation he had with Putin during this month’s G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, Xi said that it is necessary to develop both military and economic relations with Russia.
In June, the two nations announced that they had sealed trade deals with $50 billion between their two countries.
The joint exercises are an annual occurrence, though both nations are citing these as the largest in history – the result of a blooming relationship between Xi and Putin, who have met personally 17 times since 2013.
The drill will culminate in a joint amphibious and aerial assault on a fortified island. The simulated invasion of a foreign island is causing some international alarm, as China has spent the past three years trying to usurp ownership of much of the territory in the South China Sea. dBeijing claims islands and shoals that belong to Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and has created artificial islands in the Spratly and Paracel Island chains, belonging to the Philippines and Vietnam. Those islands have been fortified with surveillance equipment, surface-to-air missiles, and fighter jets.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled against China in July, finding that none of the nation’s claims in the contested regions were legitimate and ruling in favor of the Philippines. At the G20 Summit, Putin made clear that Russia agreed with China’s policy of disregarding The Hague entirely. “We stand in solidarity and support of China’s position on this issue – not to recognize the decision of this court … arbitration proceedings should be initiated by the disputing parties, while the arbitration court should hear the arguments and positions of the disputing parties,” he argued. Putin added that Chinese officials had not prodded him to give a public opinion on the matter. What China had done in April of this year was cite vague proclamations by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that China and the disputing parties should use “negotiation and consultation” to argue that The Hague ruling should be ignored, even before it was handed down
