Russia and China to conduct naval drill in the Mediterranean

Russia and China will conduct a naval drill in the Mediterranean in mid-May 2015.

Spokesman of China’s Defense Ministry Geng Yangsheng said on Apr 30 that the sides would learn how to convoy and to defend ships and how to ensure safety of shipping services. Each of the sides will have nine ships during the drill.

According to Yangsheng, the key goal of the event is to deepen Russian-Chinese friendly ties and to improve the ability of the Russian and Chinese navies to jointly respond to threats in the sea. The drill is not aimed against any third party.

Earlier, after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that a similar drill would be held in the Pacific Ocean.