China, Russia launch joint naval exercise

QINGDAO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia on Monday launched the "Joint Sea-2026" exercise at a military port in Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province.

A joint command has been established, comprising task forces from the navies of the two countries.

The exercise will be carried out in three phases: force assembly, harbor-based planning, and at-sea operations. The force assembly was completed on Sunday.

Following the opening ceremony, the two navies conducted exercises in command and tactical coordination. The joint command held in-depth discussions on the key drill subjects for the at-sea phase.

For the next step, the participating warships will proceed to the sea near Qingdao to conduct drills in areas such as joint reconnaissance, air and missile defense, as well as training in the actual use of weapons.