China and Russia will carry out joint naval exercises in the Pacific next week, the Chinese defense ministry said Wednesday, as the quasi-alliance continues to mature.
Why It Matters  The neighbors have moved to strengthen security ties in recent years through bilateral and multilateral exercises spanning naval and air patrols and computer simulations. 

Newsweek reached out to the Russian defense ministry by email with a request for comment outside of office hours.

What to Know The People's Liberation Army Navy will join Russia's Pacific Fleet for drills in the Sea of Japan, in the waters and airspace near the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, China's defense ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said during Wednesday's regular news conference.
Chinese Destroyer Takes Part in Joint Exercise
This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on March 11 shows the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer Baotou during joint military drills between Iran, Russia and China in the Gulf...  Iranian Army via Getty Images
  • The exercises, which will also include land-based training and collectively dubbed Maritime Interaction 2025, begin August 1, according to a Pacific Fleet statement shared by Russian state media. 
  • Both sides stressed that the drills are not directed at any third party.
Naval forces will train in anti-submarine warfare, air defense and search-and-rescue operations, and will conduct "joint gun" exercises, according to a Russian statement.
Participating Russian ships will be led by the large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Tributs, with the Type 052 guided-missile destroyer Shaoxing leading the Chinese contingent. Diesel-electric submarines and naval aircraft from both countries will also take part.
Following the exercises, the two sides will deploy to an unspecified part of the Pacific Ocean for their sixth joint maritime patrol, Zhang told reporters.
What People Have Said
Zhang Xiaogang, Chinese defense ministry spokesperson: "This is an arrangement within the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries. It is not targeted at any third party, nor is it related to the current international and regional situation."
Garrett Campbell, retired U.S. Navy captain and adviser to NATO on Russian military strategy, wrote for the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute in June:  
"It has become resoundingly clear that the increase in bilateral military activities is directly linked to a shared strategic vision held by both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin.

"[...] Putin, incorrectly perceived by many in the U.S. national security community as a mere tactical opportunist, has committed Russia to a long-term strategic confrontation with the West."

What's Next The last two days of the drills will overlap with a joint exercise between the Indian and Philippine navies in the South China Sea, in what observers have billed as a show of New Delhi's support for the U.S. treaty ally in its ongoing territorial dispute with China.