The Russian and Chinese navies officially commenced a joint naval exercise in the Yellow Sea on Monday, deploying a mix of submarines and surface vessels.
According to press releases from the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, the drills are scheduled to run from July 6 to 13 and are divided into three distinct phases: force assembly, harbor-based planning, and at-sea operations. The initial force assembly phase concluded on Sunday. Following the completion of the exercise, the combined naval assets will transition into a joint maritime patrol in unspecified areas of the Pacific Ocean.
China’s participating fleet includes the missile destroyers Kaifeng and Ansha, the missile frigate Wuhu, the comprehensive supply ship Kekexilihu, the submarine rescue ship Yangchenghu, and one unnamed submarine. Russia has deployed the Guards cruiser Varyag, the corvette Rezkiy, the diesel-electric submarine Ufa, and the rescue vessel Igor Belousov, according to reports from Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities, noted that the drills represent continuity in a relationship that has developed over two decades.
“China and Russia are showing that they will continue relatively frequent joint military exercises,” Goldstein said. “Both sides have benefited from this ongoing cooperation that has been underway for about two decades. I believe they are projecting strength, but also consistency of resolve and additionally restraint too.”
Goldstein added that the inclusion of submarine rescue components points to deeper bilateral cooperation in undersea warfare doctrine. He framed the drills as a counterweight to Western military maneuvers, pointing out that the upcoming U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises in Hawaii are substantially larger.
The exercise also provides a platform for tactical knowledge sharing. Russia’s navy brings recent combat experience from the Black Sea, where Ukraine has inflicted significant damage on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet—including the 2022 sinking of the flagship cruiser Moskva and losses of landing ships and corvettes like the Saratov, Askold, and Tsiklon. Meanwhile, the drills allow Russian forces to operate alongside China’s modern naval platforms.
“For China, there is the opportunity to gather more lessons from Russia’s navy concerning the conflict in the Black Sea, for example, concerning drone operations against warships,” Goldstein said. “As to Russia, there is the opportunity to operate with China’s ever more cutting-edge warships, so there is the chance to meaningfully understand the Chinese Navy’s more advanced systems, sensors, and weapons in order to aid doctrinal development.”
Representatives for the Chinese government emphasized that the maneuvers are standard practice and carry no external threats.
“China and Russia have always adhered to the principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and non-targeting of any third party in developing their bilateral and military-to-military relations,” a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Washington stated. “Exercise Joint Sea is an institutionalized cooperation program between the Chinese and Russian navies. Since its inception in 2012, the exercise has been held over 10 times and has become a key platform for China-Russia military cooperation. This exercise is aimed at jointly addressing security challenges and safeguarding regional peace and stability, and it does not target any third party. We hope relevant parties will view defense cooperation between China and Russia objectively and rationally, and stop spreading groundless speculation and smears.”
This exercise follows other recent instances of bilateral military training. Intelligence reports from May 2026 indicated that Chinese personnel trained 200 Russian military members in drone operations in late 2025. Additional reports from July showed Russian troops received training on radiological, chemical, and biological protection at a Beijing military base in November 2025.
These developments coincide with tightening geopolitical ties in the region, including Russia’s expanding relations with North Korea. Reports from early 2026 indicate that more than 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to assist Russian forces in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The drills are taking place in a highly monitored maritime environment. The Yellow Sea sits directly north of the Taiwan Strait, an area that recently saw a sharp increase in Chinese military aviation activity. In early June, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry recorded 79 Chinese aircraft sorties over a four-day span, including a single-day peak of 32 aircraft, 25 of which crossed the median line into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone.
The White House, the U.S. 7th Fleet, the Russian Embassy in Washington, and Taiwan’s TECRO office did not respond to requests for comment regarding the current exercises. The Pentagon and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command declined to comment, while the State Department did not provide a statement prior to publication.
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