BEIJING — China said Thursday that it will hold joint naval drills with Russia next week, in another sign that the countries’ militaries are growing closer in the face of shared opposition to U.S. military dominance. The “Joint Sea 2019” drills will be held off the northern port city of Qingdao, Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said at a monthly briefing. Taking place from Monday to Saturday, they will feature ships and submarines along with fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and marine units. Ren described the drills as “joint maritime defensive operations” aimed at “strengthening the two navies’ capability to commonly address maritime security threats.”“The exercise does not target any third parties,” Ren said. Last September, about 3,200 Chinese troops joined Russia’s largest-ever war games in Siberia, in which nearly 300,000 Russian troops conducted drills.

Source: National Post April 25, 2019 08:15 UTC