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Subscribe to RSSChina and Russia began their first-ever joint naval exercises on Sunday, focusing on air defense, anti-submarine tactics, search and rescue, as well as joint efforts to rescue hijacked vessels, Chinese media reported.
The large-scale war game is scheduled to run through Friday off the resort city of Qingdao in the Yellow Sea, Xinhua said. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the six days of drills would include electronic countermeasures and other sensitive technologies.
China has deployed 16 ships and two submarines, and Russia sent the guided-missile cruiser Varyag, three Udaloy class destroyers and three support ships, the Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported.
Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army, said the drill would strengthen the naval forces' ability to jointly confront regional threats.
Since 2005, China and Russia have conducted several joint military exercises within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which includes the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. But this is the first time the nations' navies have conducted joint exercises.
The new drill comes after President Barack Obama last November signaled a "return to Asia" by the United States following a decade of conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Formerly Cold War rivals for leadership of the communist world, China and Russia have since found common ground in countering liberal democratizing trends across Asia and Eastern Europe and frequently vote against Western initiatives in the United Nations Security Council.
Most recently, they have united to block any U.N. actions on Syrian violence that could lead to some form of humanitarian intervention, a prospect both nations abhor.
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Also, China is competing with the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei for control of parts of the South China Sea.
China and the Philippines are in a standoff over fishing rights in the area. China's most advanced fishing patrol vessel, the Yuzheng 310, arrived Friday to patrol waters off the coast of Scarborough Shoal, China and Voice of America said. The Philippines recently tried to arrest Chinese fishermen in the shoal, but Chinese surveillance ships intervened.
Late Friday, China said authorities released 21 Vietnamese fishermen whom they had detained for more than a month after intercepting their boats near the disputed Paracel islands, known in China as the Xisha Islands.
The Paracels are occupied by China but also claimed by Vietnam.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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Nice. And America has military bases all across the world and military bases surrounding China. Where there is any regional American military presence, there usually is some sort of military conflict in the name of "Freedom" to protect American interest. While we're at it why don't we point out the fact that the Japanese also occupy some islands that belong to Korea and China? O right its a double standard because pointing that out does not serve any American interest. I love our foreign policies...... Blame others for everything because we're always right. Blast countries for their military build up even though our military expenditure is more than the rest of the world combined... How dare these countries try and protect themselves....
Be prepared for about 2,000 comments about how America could "just" sink the entire Russian and Chinese navies using one submarine, and other such ludicrous claims of invincibility from idiots who have no idea what China and Russia could do to us if we were to go to war with them.
What double standards are you talking about? Our standards are awesome. Indian missles designed to carry nukes to kill Chinese good, North Korean satalite designed to help their already screwed up economy bad. I don't see any problem with these standards at all.
Oh, similar logic, 1 Chinese carrier is a HUGE threat, but India purchasing 6 carriers from Russia is helping the peace process.
I take it you are not an American.
Proudly an American but did not vote for the current or previous administration. It is time for us to start a fresh. We are crippled by our own partisanship style of government.
Like the bully in the school yard, its only a matter time until everyone joins together to kick our ass.....
US carrier task forces will be no match and be the sitting duck to Russian and Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles.
Sounds like Russia sent their entire Navy
Indeed.
wayback2012 actually it didn't send any attack or ballistic nuclear subs from its Pacific Fleet.
None of these so-called News Headlines will matter once you read...
'No. 414: Hyperinflation Special Report 2012'
...a report the media won't talk about.
If our leaders actually CARED about this country this would never have happened.We have a lot more commonality w russia.They would've been more than happy to make all our cheap crap.I'd much rather have russians,who enjoy drinks n jokes than the alien diabolical chinese.We'd be way better off w russian friends than chinese 'friends' methinks
So if Russia sinks a few Chinese boats during a war game it is an accident right? Personally I think they should have made it a fishing game week. The one who gets the most herring wins. No nets though. Have to have rules. You got to play to win....
I think they should involve North Korea and let them test out some missiles while they're practicing... A few "Oops" would be entertaining to see lol.
I am American and have lived in Qingdao for 10 years now. I have come to understand the Chinese ways far better than the average American-let be in business, life, government or military. It is interesting that China and Russia are now involved with these "war games". History tells us that these two countries occurred 60% + of all WW11 casualties. Meanwhile, the aggressors suffered far less. The Japanese still, to this day, think of the emperor as a living god. Japan attempted to annihilate China 80 years ago. Japan has yet to
say “sorry”. Why do we blame the Chinese for American’s purchasing Chinese production brought to the US by American businesses? Hardly the fault of the Chinese that shabby product was imported to America simply because the buyers failed to implement a simple QC inspection. These two countries have every right to play
out these games and the US, Japan and any other country has no reason to intervene and Americans should feel totally at ease with what is happening off the coast of Qingdao currently. Be wary of who you side with. Often what you see on the cover is not what is in the contents.
Bmciyama - there is a HUGE difference between China and Japan. Japan, for 1, is willing to publically act like they endorce our policies, just like our good buddies the Pakistani. Therefore, following this logic, just like Pakistan, Japan must be our friend.
And in regards to Japan being sorry for what happened in the past, well, hear this out. Have you ever read their public school history text books? It is taught in Japan, that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor only because the U.S.A. forced them to because we were sanctioning them for trying to build a peaceful Asia starting with annhiliating Chinese who won't support their cause. So, according to the Japanese school and history classes, it is our fault for WW2. How can they be 'sorry' for something that is not their fault, but ours?
Agreed, Japan has a spin problem concerning history. However they are no longer a viable military threat while the Chinese and Russians are. These countries did suffer great losses during the war but the Soviets sent waves of unarmed soldiers into battle with instructions to scavenge arms from the dead. Out of respect for the fallan I will just say "Thats not a good plan". The Chinese suffered at the hands of the Japanesse but as soon as the war was over they went straight into a bloody civil war which saw the current Communist government overthrow the Nationalist. All this being said, combat between world powers is most likely a thing of the past. You will see third world countries shoot it out and even see a major power strike out at a third world power from time to time but the battlefield involving opposing major powers is fought with money. We broke the Soviets financially and fortunately while on the brink of collapse their leaders were cool enough to not use the military option out of desperation. China learned the lesson from the side lines and are using it well against us while we continue to underestimate their intellectual capabilities. We would probably be better off in a military confrontation because then all Americans would know a common enemy. United we stand, divided we fall.
Mike, japan now has the world's 2nd most advanced navy in the world, next to USA. They never gave up their expansionist policy.
Who ever wrote this article is smoking crack or has their head in the oven!!! "Most recently, they (China and Russia) have united to block any UN actions on Syrian violence that could lead to some form of humanitarian intervention, a prospect both nations abhor." Oh, I see you mean like the "humanitarian" intervention in Libya?
What a crock of bull. China and Russia blocked the UN resolution on Syria to save the people of Syria from a fate just like Libya, i.e. being taken over by terrorists and thugs of the CIA. China and Russia in all likely hood have saved hundreds of thousands of Syrians from the bombing campaign of the imperialist United States and it's flunkies of NATO.
This whole situation in Syria was started by the United States CIA through it's NATO partner in crime Turkey by infiltrating foreign terrorists and Libyan mercenaries into Syria to stir the pot. It is a familiar scenario played out in numerous countries. First stir the pot, then get a UN resolution disguised as a humanitarian gesture, then twist that resolution into a license to murder, rape and loot the country and install a puppet government that takes orders from Washington.
If anything the people of Syria owe both China and Russia a debt of gratitude for saving them from unspeakable atrocities at the hands of the US and NATO terrorists and bombing campaign.
The vast majority of the Syrian people do not support the terrorists and side with the government.
The only time the United States has ever made a humanitarian gesture it was conditional and full of loop holes that benefit the wealthiest Americans to the detriment of the country involved. Humanitarian to the US government State Department is synonymous with extortion and blackmail.
The Paracel islands belong to VIETNAM. China only started occupying it when a vast amount of oil was discovered in the ocean bed. Then, the chinese came in and started arresting vietnamese fishermen in their own waters.
Crooks...
Not just Paracel Islands. The whole East Vietnamese Sea belongs to Vietnam. These are historical inalienable parts of Vietnam, and so is the Quangxi.
Great opportunity for the US navy to collect noise signatures of russian and chinese surfave vessels and subs. I bet the AWACS are out to observe communication protocols between these boats too. It is good to know the the language used in this exercise is Russian and not Chinese, nor English. Confusion to the enemies !!!
Their building up their War Machine ,while the illegal NON-Citzen barry soetoro tears our military down,and gives away top secret drones ,also hands over NASA to the Russians ,and muslims!!! What could go wrong with that ??? Dr.Ron Paul 2012 !!!
China is out of control period. The greedy leadesrhip of China, now that they think their military is strong enough, they can out-muscle every nation in Asia. They are claiming the Spratlys, Paracel and Scarborough Shoal to be their own, which obviously is without merit. For God's sake!.. They are so far far away from these islands. Yet, the absence of a good logic doesn't deter them from staking their claim for these islands. It's just greed!.. pure and simple. They do not have the courage to bring their claim to the United Nations because they know, their claim will be laugh at by any rational and fair thinking person. Watch out America and it's allies. China is the new next headache. The Dragon has awaken and he thinks he is now powerful enough to trample everyone.
Great !!! Tell the US to go F it's self... about time that China and Russia bring their war games to the US front to see how they feel....
They feel like tourists, snapping pictures and videoing all the happy children playing close to the beach. US will have rescue copters ready if the Chinese and Russians are careless and get in to deep water. The area the Russians and Chinese "navies" are playing has average depth of 20 meters, so it is quite safe. Just don't wander out too far.
lacompa cida you are an ignorant.
The Yellow Sea has average depth of 70 meters, and the area these "navies" will be playing has average depth of 20 meters. It is quite safe for their boats.