South China Sea China, Russia launch naval war games

The Chinese and Russian navies launched eight days of war games in the South China Sea yesterday, in a sign of growing cooperation between their armed forces against the backdrop of regional territorial disputes.
The “Joint Sea-2016” maneuvers include ships, submarines, ship-borne helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, along with marines and amphibious armored vehicles who will conduct live-firing exercises, according to an earlier Defense Ministry statement.
Tasks will include defensive and rescue drills, anti-submarine exercises and the simulated seizure of an enemy island by marines from both sides.
The exercise is part of an annual program which “aims to consolidate and advance the Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and deepen friendly and practical cooperation between the two militaries,” Chinese navy spokesman Liang Yang was quoted as saying.
“It will also improve coordination between the two navies on joint defense operations at sea,” Liang said.
China’s South Sea Fleet will make up the bulk of the forces, along with some elements from the North and East Sea fleets, Liang said.
The ministry didn’t say exactly where the drills would be held in the South China Sea, the site of heated territorial disputes between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors. However, the official Xinhua News Agency said the Russian ships arrived early Monday in the Guangdong province port of Zhanjiang and the exercises would be held off the Guangdong coast, apparently in waters that are not in dispute.
Joint Chinese-Russian drills have become increasingly common in recent years — this week’s exercises are the fifth between the two navies since 2012 — with the countries joined in their mutual suspicion of the U.S. and its allies. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP