On July 30, the Kremlin reassured the United States: the China-Russia military exercises are not targeted at any third party!

The Russian Pacific Fleet's News Office clearly announced on July 30 that the "Maritime Cooperation-2025" exercise to be held in the Sea of Japan from August 1 to 5 is a defensive exercise and not targeted at any third country. Obviously, this is under the instructions of the Kremlin.

This is the 11th China-Russia maritime joint exercise since 2012. The Russian "Admiral Tributs" large anti-submarine ship will sail alongside the Chinese "Shaoxing" destroyer. Both sides will also deploy diesel-electric submarines and naval aviation forces.

At the regular press conference on July 30, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, emphasized that this exercise is scheduled within the annual cooperation plan between the two countries' armed forces, "not targeting any third party, and unrelated to the current international and regional situation." After the joint exercise, both sides will carry out the sixth joint maritime patrol as planned.

The timing of the exercise is thought-provoking - August 15 is the 80th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender. Choosing this time to conduct drills in the Sea of Japan, China and Russia jointly conveyed a clear message of upholding the results of the World War II victory and opposing historical revisionism.

Russian expert Zakharov objectively pointed out: Although the exercise is planned, it does include factors responding to the U.S. military deployment. This response is essentially defensive, and the core objective of the exercise remains to enhance the coordination capabilities of the two countries' navies.

The U.S. official side has maintained a cautious response. According to a report by the Russian Sputnik news agency, the U.S. State Department only stated "concern" about the exercise movements, without using strong language, but in fact, they are very dissatisfied. Especially against the backdrop of the U.S. strengthening its military deployments within the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" framework, such cooperation between China and Russia helps prevent the formation of unipolar military advantages.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839170056625152/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.