China confirmed that it is conducting joint military drills until the middle of this month with Russia on its southern coast following a Western defense alliance meeting in Washington and after Japan warned of China-Russia ties being a threat. 

Mere hours after China's Defense Ministry confirmed the exercises codenamed Joint Sea-2024 began in early July, Beijing called the warnings "irresponsible and provocative."

The Ministry said that the drills in the waters and airspace around the city of Zhanjiang are meant "to demonstrate the resolve and capabilities of the two sides in jointly addressing maritime security threats and preserving global and regional peace and stability," adding that they "will further deepen China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era."

It added that they were happening under the bilateral annual plan for military engagement.

This comes after a declaration of NATO leaders at their summit in Washington claimed on Wednesday that it has titled China a "decisive enabler" of Russia's continued operations in Ukraine, lambasting Beijing for its partnership with Moscow.

NATO leaders complained about China's "large-scale support for Russia's defense industrial base," calling on the country "to cease all material and political support to Russia's war effort."

In particular, NATO is eyeing the supported transfer of dual-use materials, an umbrella term for any goods or equipment that could be used for both civilian and military purposes. NATO's declaration threatened that Beijing cannot "enable" Russian military operations "without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation."

According to Xinhua, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday that Beijing "strongly condemns the irresponsible and provocative remarks made by the NATO Secretary General against China, which are steeped in Cold War mentality and ideological bias, and consist of baseless accusations."

On the other hand, a spokesperson for China's mission to the European Union has warned against NATO's provocations of confrontation with China over its ties with neighboring Russia. 

"It is known to all that China is not the creator (of) the Ukraine crisis. China's position on Ukraine is open and aboveboard," they stressed.

Meanwhile, Chinese forces are currently conducting drills this week with Russia's ally, Belarus, on NATO's eastern border.