China, Russia To Stage Military Drills In S.China Sea
Umer Jamshaid Published September 12, 2016 | 08:35 PM
BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -12th Sept,2016) - China and Russia were to start war games in the South China Sea on Monday, Beijing's defence ministry said, in a show of force after an international tribunal invalidated the Asian giant's extensive claims in the area.
The eight-day joint drills will include exercises on "seizing and controlling" islands and shoals, Chinese navy spokesman Liang Yang said in a statement. They will involve surface ships, submarines, fixed-wing aircraft, ship-borne helicopters, marine corps and amphibious armoured equipment from both navies, he said.
"Compared with previous joint drills, these exercises are deeper and more extensive in terms of organisation, tasks and command" he said in the statement, released Sunday. China claims almost all of the South China Sea and has sought to bolster its case by building a series of artificial islands capable of supporting military facilities.
But a UN-backed tribunal ruled in July -- in a case brought by the Philippines -- that any extensive claims to the sea had no legal basis and that China's construction of artificial islands in disputed waters was illegal.
Beijing reacted furiously, with foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang threatening a "decisive response" if anyone took "any provocative action against China's security interests based on the award".
Beijing's land reclamations have prompted criticism from other claimant countries and the US, and Washington has regularly sent warships into the strategically vital area to assert the right to freedom of navigation.
This week's drills will be carried out off the coast of Zhanjiang city in the southern province of Guangdong. Their precise location was not announced, but they do not appear to be taking place in disputed parts of the sea.
They were aimed at "strengthening the capabilities of the Chinese and Russian Navies in jointly handling security threats on the sea", navy spokesman Liang said. - 'Ill-informed' - ================== China and Russia have close military and diplomatic ties, often in opposition to the West, particularly the United States, and their leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin enjoy a tight relationship.
Last August, the two powers held military exercises in the waters and airspace of the Peter the Great Gulf, south of the Russian Pacific city of Vladivostok, involving 22 vessels, up to 20 aircraft and more than 500 marines.
In May last year, they conducted their first joint naval exercises in European waters in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, China's farthest-ever drills from its home waters. Chinese military officials have said this week's exercises were "routine" and the official Xinhua news agency said Monday that Western media reports on them had sought to deliver a "sensational impression".
Suggestions that they were meant as a "sabre-rattling" warning to other countries were "ill-informed" and driven by "prejudice about China and Russia", it said. "It may be true that growing military ties between Russia and China have irritated someone's sensitive nerves," Xinhua added.
"The defensive nature of these manoeuvres is in line with China's defence policy, which makes it clear that China will not be the first to strike." Apart from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have partial claims to the sea, through which over $5 trillion in annual trade passes.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Experts raise concerns over introduction of 10-stick packs
Iranian president arrives in Karachi
Law Minister expresses Govt's resolve to address issue of missing persons
Rizwan’s batting order may be changed: Sources
Nawaz Sharif to visit Guangzhou exhibition in China
FM Dar not traveling to China: Foreign Office
PM takes notice of deliberate delay in tax cases
Iranian President visits Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum
Iranian President arrives in Lahore today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 23 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 23 April 2024
Islam enlightened world with its teachings about knowledge: Dr Jamileh
More Stories From World
-
UK's Sunak announces raised defence spending, new Ukraine aid
4 minutes ago -
Baby delivered from dying mother's womb in Gaza 'miracle'
34 minutes ago -
Russia rejects US journalist Gershkovich's detention appeal
54 minutes ago -
Prosecutors accuse Trump of 'willful' violations of gag order
2 hours ago -
French artist JR downsizes at Venice Biennale with Orient Express
3 hours ago -
Umrah & Ziarah Forum 2024: A gateway to enhance pilgrimage services in Holy land
3 hours ago
-
16 dead, 28 missing in migrant boat capsize off Djibouti: UN
3 hours ago -
16 dead, 28 missing in migrant boat capsize off Djibouti: UN
3 hours ago -
How UK's biggest water supplier sank into crisis
3 hours ago -
EU lawmakers greenlight new rules to rein in national spending
4 hours ago -
Hamas to stay in Doha if 'useful' for Gaza war mediation: Qatar
4 hours ago -
London stock market strikes record as sentiment lifts globally
5 hours ago