Japan's Ministry of Defense recently discovered that two Russian Navy frigates have been operating in the waters near the Ryukyu Islands and show no signs of leaving. At the same time, the commander of the Russian Navy, Yevmenov, visited China and delivered a message that disturbed Japan.
According to Globo, the frigates "Loud" and "Perfect" of the Russian Navy have been wandering in the Miyako Strait for several days. The two frigates had previously completed Xi in the Philippine Sea before crossing the Bass Strait into the East China Sea. In the process, they also joined up with the Chinese Navy ** team, which is training in the western Pacific. The Japanese Ministry of Defense originally thought that after the Chinese Navy ** team entered the western Pacific, the Russian Navy frigate would also return to its homeland. But this is not the case, the frigates of the Russian Navy are still cruising near the Miyako Strait.
While Japan's Ministry of Defense is feeling a headache about this, the commander of the Russian Navy, Yevmenov, has brought news that is even more worrying to Japan.
On March 3, Yevmenov led a delegation to China for talks with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu. During the talks, the two sides said that they would further expand the practical results of cooperation between the two countries, and Li Shangfu also said that he was looking forward to the joint exercises and Xi held by China and Russia on a regular basis.
Russia and China are both continental countries, but they also have long coastlines: China faces the Pacific Ocean and enters the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca, while Russia's northern border follows the Arctic Ocean and is also connected to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. As a result, China and Russia have a lot in common in terms of maritime strategy and law.
In addition, both China and Russia face serious security threats from the sea, and some of them come from the same country. Judging from the current situation, these threats will not disappear, but will intensify, so it is necessary for China and Russia to strengthen cooperation in strategic security and maritime military cooperation.
So, how can China and Russia cooperate?
Yevmenov revealed during the visit that the Chinese and Russian navies may conduct a third strategic cruise this year and plan joint Xi exercises in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and South China Sea.
The Chinese Navy and the Russian Navy have already conducted two joint cruises, the first around Japan and the second to a certain sea area in the Bering Sea and Alaska. The Chinese and Russian navies are not only patrolling in the sea area, but also practicing while walking, and the ** released by the Russian Novosti news agency last year showed that the Chinese Navy's carrier-based *** also carried out take-off and landing training during the cruise.
The Chinese and Russian naval patrols are not only a manifestation of trust between the two countries, but also a warning to the United States. The United States and its allies have been running amok in the Asia-Pacific waters in the name of "freedom of navigation", so according to the logic of the United States, the Chinese and Russian navies can also go to Alaska, Hawaii, and even the West Coast of the United States to "freedom of navigation."
In addition, the military-technical field is also one of the priorities of Sino-Russian naval cooperation. The size and technology of the Russian Navy has lagged behind that of China, and Russia has always wanted to buy ship technology from China or cooperate in building ships, but due to the constraints of budget and self-esteem, Russia has not made a request to China.
During Yevmenov's visit, he will also visit shipyards in Shanghai and Qingdao, and there is information on social ** that a Type 055 destroyer of the Chinese Navy raised the Russian flag, probably Yevmenov boarded the ship for a visit. This destroyer, a representative of the most advanced technology of the Chinese Navy, may give Yevmenov some shocks.