Russian, Chinese ships to drill together in Mediterranean

The Russian and Chinese navies have moved to discuss plans for future joint exercises, after Russia’s Pyotr Veliky missile cruiser and China's Yancheng frigate successfully escorted the first Syrian chemical weapons shipload. A group of Russian naval officers met with their Chinese counterpart aboard the Yancheng on Sunday to discuss the possibility of joint tactical drills in the Mediterranean, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, Voice of Russia reported. "Such exercises may be carried out in the near future in an effort to improve the level of operational compatibility between Russian and Chinese warships during joint operations in the Eastern Mediterranean," the ministry said in a statement. The aim of the drills is to practice joint anti-terrorist efforts and rescue operations at sea, the statement said. On January 7, the Pyotr Veliky and the Yancheng provided safe passage for a Danish cargo ship loaded with Syrian chemical weapons in the first instance of direct interaction between the Russian and Chinese navies. Captain Pyshklov, commanding officer of the Russian naval force in the Mediterranean, lauded the performance of the Yancheng during the escort operation, while his counterpart, Li Pengcheng, spoke highly of the way the Russian Navy coordinated the escort. In July, Russia and China held a three-day joint naval exercise, Naval Interaction-2013, off the Russian port city of Vladivostok in what became China's largest overseas war games in terms of the number of troops deployed outside its territorial waters. It involved seven Chinese warships, including four destroyers, two frigates and a supply ship. Both sides honed their skills in joint air defense and maritime replenishment, tackling submarine threats and rescuing and escorting a hijacked ship. The Russian and Chinese navies have regularly held joint drills since 2005 within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Naval Interaction-2013 was the second joint naval exercise outside the SCO. The first one was held in April 2012. In recent years, China has participated in a series of joint exercises in the Pacific and Indian oceans as well as in land war games organized by the SCO.