China and Russia to hold Pacific naval exercise in August

China and Russia will stage a joint naval exercise near Vladivostok in August, followed by a Pacific maritime patrol, Beijing’s defence ministry has announced.

The 'Joint Sea 2025' drill will take place in the sea and airspace around Russia’s far eastern port city on the Sea of Japan, ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said on Wednesday. Some forces involved will also join the sixth joint maritime patrol in designated ocean areas.

Zhang described the exercise as part of an annual military cooperation plan and said it was “not targeted at any third party” nor linked to current international tensions.

The announcement coincides with 'Resolute Force Pacific 2025,' a major U.S.-led combat exercise running until 8 August across Hawaii, Guam, Japan and international airspace. The event involves more than 400 aircraft and 12,000 personnel from the U.S., Japan, Australia and other allies.

The 'Joint Sea' series began in 2012 and has been held annually except in 2018, 2020 and 2023. Previous exercises have included formation manoeuvres, anti-submarine operations, live-fire drills and search-and-rescue missions.

China and Russia have stepped up naval cooperation in recent years, including joint patrols in the Pacific that started in 2021 and now occur before or after such exercises.

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