In July, the two countries held joint drills in the waters and airspace around Zhanjiang, a city in southern China’s Guangdong province.
Those drills came the same week that NATO leaders warned China had “become a decisive enabler” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting Beijing to warn the United States-led military bloc against “provoking confrontation”.
Russia and China have ramped up military and economic cooperation in recent years, with both railing against “Western hegemony”, particularly what they see as US domination of global affairs.
They declared a “no limits” partnership shortly before Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine in 2022.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia’s economic and trade links with China were “yielding results” as he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Moscow.
