Joint Chinese, Russian Naval Drills Start in South China Sea

July 15, 2024 2:58 PM
Russian Corvettes underway in the Pacific. JMSDF Photo

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and the Russian Navy launched a joint naval exercise on Sunday that will take place in the South China Sea. Also on Sunday, a separate joint naval patrol by the two navies also entered the South China Sea.
Joint Sea 2024 has been an ongoing event since 2012, according to a Russian Ministry of Defense release on the exercise. The MoD added that the first joint naval exercise of the Russian Navy and the PLA Navy was held in the Yellow Sea in 2005.

The exercise, launched from the southern Chinese city of Zhanjiang, which is also the headquarters of the PLAN South Sea Fleet, began its sea phase on Monday, with ships leaving the port to begin drills in the South China Sea.

“During the maneuvers at the sea, the crews of the Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy will conduct joint air defense exercises, anti-submarine exercises with the involvement of the naval anti-submarine aviation of the PLA, and train to replenish the stocks on the go. Sailors from the two countries will also take part in a rescue training exercise at the sea,” reads the Russian MOD release.

The joint exercise includes Russian Navy corvettes RFS Gromkiy (335) and RFS Rezkiy (343) and fleet oiler Irkut, all part of the Russian Pacific Fleet and PLAN destroyer CNS Nanning (162), frigates CNS Xianning (500) and CNS Dali (553) and fleet oiler CNS Weishanhu (887), Weishanhu is currently at sea supporting the joint Russian naval patrol as well.Gromkiy and Rezkiy left their home base of Vladivostok on July 8 for an Asia Pacific deployment according to a Russian Pacific Fleet announcement then and subsequently arrived at Zhanjiang on Friday.

Japan tracked the movements of the two Russian corvettes as they passed by Japan with a Japan Joint Staff Office release on Wednesday stating that on Tuesday at 10 p.m., the two corvettes had been sighted sailing southwest in an area 60km north of Iriomote Island which lies in the East China Sea. Subsequently between Tuesday and Wednesday the two Russian corvettes then sailed southwest between Iriomote Island and Yonaguni Island to enter the Philippine Sea, according to the release which also stated that Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) fleet oiler JS Hamana (AOE-424) and JMSDF P-3C Orions Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) of Fleet Air Wing 5 based at Naha Air Base on Okinawa tracked the Russian corvettes.

On Sunday, China’s Ministry of National Defense issued a statement saying that Chinese and Russian naval vessels recently carried out their fourth joint maritime patrol in the western and northern Pacific Ocean, “The patrol did not target a third party and had nothing to do with the current international and regional situation,” reads the statement.

Chinese state media Xinhua reported that the patrol entered the South China Sea on Sunday. The patrol consists of Russian Navy corvette RFS Sovershenny (333) and PLAN destroyer CNS Yinchuan (175), frigate CNS Hengshui (572) and fleet oiler Weishanhu. Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that the joint patrol carried out simulated missile firing drills, actual gun firing practice and cross-deck landings while in the Philippine Sea along with a boarding and search exercise.

The joint patrol is an annual event between the two navies that first began in 2021 though this year’s patrol appears to be scaled down from previous years’ patrols which involved a total of ten ships or more from both navies.

Meanwhile, Russian and Chinese surveillance assets have been operating near Japan over the past week according to JSO releases, a JSO release on Thursday stated that at noon on Wednesday, Russian Navy surveillance ship Kareliya (535) was sighted sailing northeast in an area 100km southwest of Tsushima and from Wednesday to Thursday sailed northeast through the Tsushima Strait to enter the Sea of Japan. The release stated that destroyer JS Ariake (DD-109) shadowed the Russian ship and noted that on July 6, Kareliya had sailed north between Okinawa and Miyako Island.

On Friday, the JSO issued a release stating that from the morning and afternoon of that day, a Chinese TB-001 reconnaissance and attack drone flew in from the East China Sea, passed between Okinawa and Miyako Island to enter the Philippine Sea and then flew to the Bashi Channel which lies between the Philippines and Taiwan. The release stated that fighter aircraft from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) Southwest Air District were scrambled in response.

Dzirhan Mahadzir

Dzirhan Mahadzir

Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Among the publications he has written for and currently writes for since 1998 includes Defence Review Asia, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Navy International, International Defence Review, Asian Defence Journal, Defence Helicopter, Asian Military Review and the Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.

Get USNI News updates delivered to your inbox