The naval forces of China and Russia have started a joint military exercise

On July 14, Chinese and Russian naval forces began a joint exercise at a military port in southern China, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

The drills come days after NATO allies called Beijing the "decisive driver" of the war in Ukraine.

China's Ministry of Defense said in a brief statement that the forces of both sides recently patrolled the western and northern Pacific Oceans and that the operation had nothing to do with international and regional developments and that the drills were not aimed at attacking any country.

The drills, which began in Guangdong province and are expected to last until mid-July, were aimed at demonstrating the navy's capabilities in dealing with security threats and maintaining global and regional peace and stability, state broadcaster CCTV reported on July 13.

As reported by this television, they include anti-missile exercises, strikes from the sea and air defense.

Xinhua News Agency reported that Chinese and Russian naval forces conducted a military map simulation and tactical coordination exercises after the opening ceremony in Zhanjiang city.

The joint exercises follow China's latest tensions with NATO allies last week.

The final statement, approved by NATO's 32 members at a summit in Washington, made it clear that China is becoming the focus of the military alliance, calling Beijing the "decisive driver" of Russia's war against Ukraine.

In response, China accused NATO of seeking security at the expense of others and told the alliance not to create the same "chaos" in Asia. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that China has a fair and objective position on the war in Ukraine.