The Chinese naval fleet headed for the Baltic Sea to participate in a joint exercise with Russia.
Three ships led by a military destroyer headed for that region, and NATO held an exercise nearby.
According to reports, the Chinese fleet should join Russian ships for exercises near St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, reports AFP, adding that Chinese marines and helicopters will participate in the exercise, which will be held at the end of July.
China's Xinhua News Agency said that the goal of the joint exercise is to consolidate and improve the Sino-Russian strategic partnership and deepen the friendly and practical cooperation between the two militaries.
On the other hand, NATO also held the first "war games" in that region, with a focus on the defense of the "Suvalki Pass", a corridor that is critical for the security of the Baltic allies, officials announced today.
The narrow strip located on the Polish-Lithuanian border is "sandwiched" between the Russian militarized enclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus, which is a close associate of the Kremlin.
Military strategists warn that it is the "Achilles heel" of NATO's eastern flank, because its removal would cut off three allies and Baltic members of the alliance - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Moscow constantly denies that it has territorial ambitions and says that the recent deployment of NATO in the Baltic region, on Russia's border, disturbs the balance of power.
Lithuanian President Dalija Grybauskaite stated that the exercise, focused on bringing allied forces to the Suwalki Pass from Poland to Lithuania, sends "a strong message about NATO's readiness and commitment to ensure security in the region," reports AFP.
"As we face threats, we are confident in ourselves, our allies and our shared defense capabilities," she said in a statement to the agency.
Fears that Russia would try to attack the Suvalki Pass arose after Russia announced its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
American Captain Jason Kunz, the spokesman for the multinational exercise, said that 1.500 soldiers from the USA, Poland, Britain and Lithuania are involved in the exercise, which is officially called "Iron Wolf", and that such an exercise is being held for the first time.
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