China deploys nine warships in South China Sea ahead of exercises with Russia

MADRID, 19 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Chinese Armed Forces have deployed almost a dozen warships in the South China Sea ahead of a series of joint exercises with the Russian Army, exercises scheduled for later this week.

Thus, at least nine ships are already sailing in the area, although no details have been released about the possibility of all of them participating in the exercises, according to information from the newspaper 'South China Morning Post'.

The Japanese authorities have confirmed, in turn, that the aircraft carrier 'Liaoning' has crossed the Miyako Strait, which separates the islands of Okinawa from Miyako. The ship has been escorted by several destroyers of the Chinese Navy.

With these maneuvers, the parties hope to strengthen their naval cooperation in the region to "maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific", as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense in a statement.

Late last year, Chinese and Russian navy vessels completed their first joint patrol in the Pacific under a mission that aimed to "advance the maintenance of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as as the protection of the objects of maritime economic activity of the two countries", as indicated by the Russian Government.