Joint Chinese-Russian naval exercises: The background

On Sunday, July 14, 2024, the Chinese and Russian naval forces carried out joint exercises in a military port in southern China.

On Sunday, July 14, 2024, the Chinese and Russian naval forces carried out joint exercises in a military port in southern China, specifically in the southern Chinese province of “Guangdong”, days after NATO allies described Beijing as a “decisive factor” in the war in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced, on Saturday, July 13, 2024, the arrival of two Russian warships of the “Stergosheshi” class to the shores of the city of Zhanjiang in southern China, to participate in naval military exercises with China.

  With the Russian Ministry of Defense confirming, through an official publication regarding naval exercises with China, that: “The two ships “Gromki” and “Ryzky”, meaning Russian “noisy” and “surprise”, will participate in the joint naval exercises “Maritime Cooperation – 2024” with their counterparts.  Chinese”.  With the Russian assertion that: “The sailors of the two countries will train in China and Russia for rescue missions at sea, and will conduct joint air defense exercises and anti-submarine exercises with the participation of the naval anti-submarine aviation of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army”.

  The Chinese Ministry of Defense stated, in a brief statement, that forces from both Chinese and Russian sides conducted patrols in the western and northern Pacific Ocean and that the operation has nothing to do with international and regional situations and does not target any third party. The official Chinese Radio and Television Corporation also reported that the Chinese-Russian naval military exercises, which began in Guangdong Province, are expected to continue until mid-July 2024, and aim to demonstrate the capabilities of the Chinese-Russian naval forces in confronting security threats and maintaining peace and stability at the global and regional levels, adding that it will include anti-missile training, naval strikes and air defense, with confirmation that the Chinese and Russian naval forces conducted military simulation exercises on the map and tactical coordination exercises after the opening ceremony in (Zhanjiang City) in China.

  In my opinion, the joint exercises between China and Russia came in the wake of recent tensions between China and NATO allies.  Especially after the issuance of the strongly worded final statement, approved by the 32 NATO members at their summit in Washington, that China has become the focus of NATO’s military alliance, describing Beijing as a “decisive factor” in the Russian war against Ukraine. Here, European and North American members and their NATO military partners in the Indo-Pacific region charge that there are increasingly shared security concerns about China’s interventions. In a strongly worded statement, NATO members expressed concerns about Beijing’s nuclear arsenal and capabilities in space, warning it of the role it plays in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war.

  During the last meetings of the NATO, the NATO leaders accused China of playing a “decisive” role in the Russian war against Ukraine, considering its deepening relations with Moscow to be a “source of deep concern”, in what was considered the most serious rebuke from the alliance against Beijing. The final statement of the NATO  approved by NATO members (32) at the Washington summit, also highlighted concerns about Beijing’s nuclear arsenal and capabilities in space. NATO Secretary General “Jens Stoltenberg” said:  “I think the message that NATO has sent from this summit is very strong and very clear, and we clearly define China’s responsibility when it comes to enabling Russia to go to war”.

  There were as well accusations from the American military officials towards China during the last NATO meeting in Washington in July 2024, that a US Coast Guard boat that was conducting a routine patrol in the Bering Sea at the beginning of July 2024 had also encountered several Chinese military ships in international waters but within the region.  American exclusive economic.  The US Navy crew discovered the presence of (three Chinese ships) about 200 kilometers north of (Amchitka Passage in the Aleutian Islands), which represents a separation and link between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea.  With the US Navy confirming that it had spotted a fourth Chinese ship about 135 kilometers north of the “Amcta Corridor”, near the US maritime border, a matter that raised Washington’s ire and concerns.  Therefore, the last NATO meetings in Washington in July 2024 came as a “settling of American scores against Beijing,” according to my readings of the general political and military scene and the scenes of the recent NATO meetings.

  During the NATO meeting in Washington in July 2024, NATO’s latest statement urged China to “stop all forms of material and political support for the Russian war effort,” alluding to the broad supportive role of the “Russian defense industrial base. This includes the transfer of Chinese dual-use items to Russia, such as weapons components, equipment and raw materials that are used as inputs to the Russian defense sector”.

   In response to the American allegations, China accused NATO of seeking security at the expense of others and asked the alliance not to cause the same chaos in Asia.  Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that China has a fair and objective position on the war in Ukraine. On the other hand, Beijing denies providing direct military aid to Russia, insisting that it merely maintained strong trade relations with its neighbor throughout the conflict. The chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its dissatisfaction with NATO’s increasing interest in Asia, and demanded that the alliance stay away from the Asia-Pacific region and not incite confrontation. Beijing’s mission to the European Union said the summit was “full of Cold War mentality and hostile rhetoric.”  It said in a statement: “The paragraphs related to China are provocative with clear lies and distortions”.

  The NATO final statement also accused China of being behind ongoing and malicious cyber and hybrid activities, including disinformation. The final statement also sounded the alarm that China Is rapidly expanding and diversifying its nuclear arsenal with more warheads and a greater number of advanced delivery systems.

   Danny Russell, former US Assistant Secretary of State for Asian Affairs, said: “It is a sign of the failure of Beijing’s attempt to differentiate between Russia and Western Europe and its claim of neutrality”, adding: “China’s attempts to divide and rule have instead resulted in remarkable solidarity among key countries in the Euro-Atlantic and Asia-Pacific regions”.

 The strong Chinese response came in the face of accusations from the NATO military alliance, led by Washington, and its allies in the West, that Chinese forces conducted joint military exercises in the country of Belarus, an ally of Russia, in July 2024.  

 Therefore, the (Polish Ministry of Defense) objected, as an ally of Washington and the West in confronting Russia and China, through a Polish statement, saying: “We are well aware of the danger of using the aforementioned Chinese naval military operations for the purposes of misinformation and propaganda.”  Taking into account that Poland is a member of NATO and supports Kiev.

   Therefore, the decisive Chinese response to these American and Western accusations from NATO members confronted them, through China conducting joint exercises with Belarus, an ally of Russia, but this is the first time since the Russian-Ukrainian war in February 2022. These  maneuvers, which called “Falcon Attacks” have begun between China and Belarus on Monday, July 8, 2024, and is scheduled to continue until mid-July, as the Chinese Ministry of Defense said that it hopes to deepen cooperation with the Belarusian capital “Minsk”, in confronting any threats.

   Through the previous analysis and understanding of the general position between Russia and China on the one hand, and NATO countries on the other hand, led by Washington, we understand that these Chinese-Russian and Chinese-Belarusian naval maneuvers came at a time that carries more than one significance. China and Russia began joint naval exercises under the name  “Naval Interaction 2024” along the southern coast of China, is scheduled to continue until July 17, 2024, and includes simulations of dealing with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine attacks and carrying out maritime rescue missions. These new exercises between China and Russia coincide with other separate Chinese-Belarusian military exercises lasting 11 days near (the city of Brest) on the border with Poland and Ukraine. They were launched days after Minsk joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and were described by the Secretary-General of NATO.  Here, “Jens Stoltenberg” called it “shows how China is moving closer than ever to the alliance’s borders”.

  Accordingly, we understand that these Chinese-Russian and Chinese-Belarusian naval military maneuvers are confirmation of this growing danger posed by the United States of America and its allies in NATO in the face of the strong alliance that brings together China and Russia.

Dr.Nadia Helmy
Dr.Nadia Helmy
Associate Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Politics and Economics / Beni Suef University- Egypt. An Expert in Chinese Politics, Sino-Israeli relationships, and Asian affairs- Visiting Senior Researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)/ Lund University, Sweden- Director of the South and East Asia Studies Unit