Drills in S China Sea ‘Allow Russia, China to Better Respond to World Crises’
SputnikNews.com
20.09.2016
Chinese and Russian naval forces participated in Joint Sea-2016, a massive eight-day series of war games in the South China Sea. The drills displayed a high level of compatibility, according to the Deputy Chief of the Russian Navy, Vice Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov.
The admiral expressed his views on the drills during the closing ceremony of the Russian-Chinese exercises. The exercises involved destroyers, surface ships, submarines, fighters, shipborne helicopters, marines and armored personnel carriers and other amphibious vehicles.
Russian military expert Vasiliy Kashin said that the annual Russian-Chinese naval exercises received much greater political resonance than usual. Joint-Sea 2016 was held against the backdrop of worsening conflict in the South China Sea between China, ASEAN countries, the United States and some of the US allies.
Many political observers, especially in Southeast Asia, began to express fears that Russia intended to intervene in the South China Sea by taking the Chinese side. But according to Kashin, Russia has not taken and does not intend to take any position in regard to the disputes in the South China Sea.
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