On July 20th, the China-Russia “Northern/Interaction-2023” joint military exercise commenced with the theme of “Safeguarding Maritime Strategic Passageways.” The exercise focuses on various drills, including naval and aerial escort, deterrence and expulsion, as well as anchorage defense.
The opening ceremony of the exercise took place in the central waters of the Sea of Japan. The Russian Pacific Fleet deployed the large anti-submarine vessels “Admiral Tributs” and “Admiral Panteleyev,” along with the guided-missile cruiser “Marshal Ustinov” and the frigate “Varyag.”
On the Chinese side, five warships participated in the exercise, including two Type 052D missile destroyers (the 119 “Guiyang” and the 121 “Qiqihar”), two Type 054A missile frigates (the 542 “Zaozhuang” and the 598 “Rizhao”), and one Type 903A comprehensive supply ship (the 889 “Taihu”), accompanied by four shipborne helicopters.
In addition to the ten warships, both sides also deployed thirty aircraft. China’s fleet included a variety of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, such as the Y-20 large transport plane, KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft, J-16 fighter jets, Z-20 helicopters. And Russia dispatched over ten aircraft, including the Il-38 patrol plane, Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters, and Su-30 fighter jets.
This joint military exercise, under the theme of “Safeguarding Maritime Strategic Passageways,” will focus on naval and aerial escort, deterrence and expulsion, as well as anchorage defense. It aims to assess the integrated joint operational capabilities of the Chinese and Russian armed forces in distant sea operations.
Notably, at the end of June, a fleet of five Chinese warships, led by the amphibious assault ship Guangxi, including one Type 075 amphibious assault ship, one Type 052D destroyer, one Type 054A frigate, one supply ship, and one electronic reconnaissance vessel, passed through the Bungo Strait and other waterways, entering the Western Pacific. Together with the military forces participating in this exercise, it forms an encirclement situation around Japan.