China, Russia to hold joint naval drills
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- China and Russia announced the annual "Joint Sea-2026" drills will run July 6–13 in the Yellow Sea off Qingdao, with forces from both sides already in port and a follow-on joint maritime patrol in the Pacific planned afterward.
- China's Northern Theater Command listed two destroyers, a frigate, a submarine, a supply ship and a rescue vessel; the Russian Pacific Fleet said it sent one cruiser, a corvette, a diesel submarine and a rescue vessel.
- The exercises will cover reconnaissance, air and missile defence, surface strikes, anti-submarine warfare, artillery drills and joint rescue operations, according to statements from both militaries.
- Russian Rear Admiral Sergei Sinko told a Qingdao ceremony that "Joint Sea-2026" is aimed at "strengthening the strategic partnership" and ensuring regional "peace and stability," per TASS.
- The drills come roughly two months after Putin visited China, where Putin called bilateral ties "unprecedentedly high" and Xi Jinping described an "unyielding" partnership.
- Beijing has never condemned Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and insists it is a neutral party calling for peace talks, though many Western allies believe China has materially supported Moscow's war effort.
- The "Joint Sea" series has been held since 2012; last year's edition near Vladivostok was also followed by joint Pacific patrols.
Why it matters: Western governments view the deepening China-Russia military partnership with suspicion as Moscow's war grinds on, and the post-exercise Pacific patrol extends the drills' operational reach beyond a routine Yellow Sea show of force. Beijing's insistence on neutrality sits in tension with allied assessments that it backs Russia's war effort — making each "Joint Sea" iteration a credibility test for both capitals.
