Beijing and Moscow hold military exercises as NATO expands its influence
Daniel Gonzalez Delgadillo
Sent
The newspaper La Jornada
Saturday, July 13, 2024, p. 22
Beijing. China announced yesterday that it is conducting military maneuvers with Russia called Joint Maritime Exercise-2024 in the waters and airspace near the city of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, in the south of the country, in view of the possible risk that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will extend its influence in Asia due to the alleged alliance between the two allied powers in the war in Ukraine.
The operations are being carried out in accordance with the annual military engagement plan between the two countries and the bilateral agreement, and are scheduled to last until mid-July, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for China’s Ministry of National Defense, told a news conference.
Is about demonstrate the resolve and capabilities of militaries to jointly address threats to maritime security and preserve global and regional peace and stabilitythe official said, quoted by Xinhua news agency.
He noted that the operations will further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia for the new era.
The ships involved have arrived in Zhanjiang, accompanied by guided missile frigates and supply vessels, state broadcaster CGTN reported. The port city serves as the headquarters of Chinese naval forces assigned to the Southern Theater Command, and the South China Sea is the main area of responsibility of the so-called South China Sea Fleet.
The Chinese ships that participated in the joint patrol, including the destroyer 052D Yinchuan, the frigate 054A Hengshui and the replenishment ship 903 Weishanhu, are assigned to the South China Fleet. The Russian corvette Sovershennyy has left its home port of Vladivostok in the Far East and joined a Chinese naval task group in the East China Sea, the Russian Pacific Fleet said on Tuesday.
During a summit in Washington marking the 75th anniversary of the NATO alliance, members of the military bloc expressed concern about China’s help to Russia in the war in Ukraine by providing supplies, such as civilian and military equipment.
These points were raised during a meeting on Thursday with its partners from Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. The Asian giant considered the invitation of these countries to be a pretext for the alliance to extend its influence in Asia, and warned them of provoking a confrontation.
On the sidelines of the summit, the White House announced that the United States will, starting in 2026, deploy weapons with a longer range than those currently deployed in Europe. Russia viewed this announcement and the strengthening of NATO support for Ukraine as proof of a commitment direct in the war and the return “to the cold War”.
