China, Russia to launch military drills in Sea of Japan
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The joint exercises aim to increase peace and stability in the region and maritime routes.
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Russian and Chinese military officers hug each other during a joint military exercise (Xinhua)
China and Russia will kick off joint military exercises organized by the People's Liberation Army PLA in the Sea of Japan in the near future, the Chinese Defense Ministry stated on Saturday.
"In accordance with the annual plan of cooperation between the armed forces of Russia and China, the Russian army will soon send the navy and air forces to participate in the ‘North. Interaction-2023,’ organized by the People's Liberation Army's Northern Theater Command in the central part of the Sea of ​​Japan," the Ministry announced.
Read more: Russian MoD announces 9 international drills in 2023
The exercises aim to strengthen future security in the maritime routes in the region, further improve strategic military cooperation between the two countries, bolster joint coordination to maintain regional peace and stability, and increase readiness to respond to mutual security challenges.
Moscow and Beijing have increased their cooperation in recent years, proclaiming a "no limits" partnership, which was highlighted this year after both nations announced taking bilateral relations to new historic levels in aims to co-contribute to the creation of a mutlipolar world on the basis of a more "just world order" in contrast to the current status quo under Western hegemony.
China has repeatedly decried the "illegal" and provocative intrusion of US warships into waters surrounding the country, especially in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
In September 2022, Russia and China agreed to deepen defense cooperation with a focus on holding joint exercises.
Read more: Kremlin says Russia supports China's drills completed today in Taiwan
But the growing sentiment to challenge US-imposed global policies is not limited to Chinese-Russian efforts.
Other nations have also spearheaded this mission, especially Iran, which holds a long history of opposing and fighting Western diktats and imperialistic drives since the victory of the Iranian Revolution.
Last March, the Iranian, Chinese, and Russian navies joined forces in the Gulf of Oman and concluded joint exercises aimed to fortify security and cooperation. Dubbed the "Naval Security Belt Combined War Game 202," the drills intended to "deepen practical cooperation among the navies of participating countries."
Read more: South Africa, China, Russia start joint naval exercises
Earlier this month, the Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS) reported that Iran, Russia, and China are setting the stage for a series of joint military drills in Latin America, and Venezuela is set to host the drills on its soil in August.
Tehran, Moscow, Beijing, and Caracas will not be the only participants, as nine other nations will "preposition forward-deployed military assets in Latin America and the Caribbean," the SFS report read.
The SFS also claimed that there were signs that Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) was boosting its presence in Latin America as part of the drills.
