Russia, China hold first joint patrol in western Pacific Ocean

Japan said 10 vessels sailed through the Tsugaru Strait

October 23, 2021 10:37 pm | Updated 10:37 pm IST - Moscow

A group of naval vessels from Russia and China conduct a joint maritime military patrol in the Pacific Ocean, in this still image taken from video released on October 23, 2021.

A group of naval vessels from Russia and China conduct a joint maritime military patrol in the Pacific Ocean, in this still image taken from video released on October 23, 2021.

Russian and Chinese warships held their first joint patrols in the Western part of the Pacific ocean on October 17-23, Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Moscow and Beijing, which staged naval cooperation drills in the Sea of Japan earlier in October, have cultivated closer military and diplomatic ties in recent years at a time when their relations with the West have soured.

The naval manoeuvres have been closely watched by Japan, which said earlier this week that a group of 10 vessels from China and Russia sailed through the Tsugaru Strait separating Japan’s main island and its northern island of Hokkaido.

“The group of ships passed through the Tsugaru Strait for the first time as part of the patrol,” Russia’s Defence Ministry said in the statement. The strait is regarded as international waters.

“The tasks of the patrols were the demonstration of the Russian and Chinese state flags, maintaining of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and guardianship of the subjects of maritime economic activities of the two countries,” the Ministry added.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.