China, Russia launch joint naval exercise
8-day drill opened in China’s eastern Qingdao city with exercises in command, tactical coordination
Elena Teslova
06 July 2026•Update: 06 July 2026
MOSCOW
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Monday that Moscow and Beijing officially launched their annual joint naval exercise, Maritime Interaction-2026
The ministry said in a statement that an opening ceremony took place at a Chinese naval base in the port of Qingdao and was attended by commanders of Russian Navy and Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ships, as well as officers of the joint command headquarters
The exercise is being led by Rear Admiral Sergei Sinko of Russia and Rear Admiral Qiu Wencheng of China, it said
Addressing participants, Sinko said the annual drills were defensive in nature and were not directed against any third country
Following the ceremony, officers from the joint headquarters and commanders of the participating ships began discussing tactical operations at sea and procedures for carrying out the planned exercises, the ministry said
Chinese state media confirmed the start of the exercise, saying the two countries launched the “Joint Sea-2026” naval exercise at a military port in Qingdao, in eastern Shandong province
The eight-day exercise will be carried out in three phases: force assembly, harbor-based planning, and at-sea operations the official social media account of the Chinese military
The Russian participating vessels include the Varyag missile cruiser, the frigate Surovy, the large submarine Ufa, and the rescue ship Igor Belousov
The Chinese vessels participating in the exercise include the Kaifeng and Anshan destroyers, the frigate Wuhu, the comprehensive supply ship Kekexilihu, the submarine rescue ship Yangchenghu, and one submarine
On the first day, the two navies conducted command and tactical coordination exercises as their joint command held “in-depth” discussions on the key drill subjects for the at-sea phase
In the next phase, the participating warships will proceed to waters near Qingdao to conduct drills in areas such as joint reconnaissance, air and missile defense, and the use of weapons
The annual exercise will run through July 13 in the Yellow Sea
The drill is part of the annual cooperation plan between the two militaries and is aimed at jointly responding to security challenges and safeguarding regional peace and stability
