Russian cruiser Varyag (C) arrives at Dagang port of Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

QINGDAO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The Sino-Russian "Joint Sea-2019" exercise for both navies began Monday afternoon.

Set to run from April 29 to May 4, the drill focuses on joint sea defense.

The first two days of the exercise will be conducted mainly on the harbor shore, and marked by games and exchanges, opening up of warships, as well as cultural and sports events.

May 1 will see the beginning of real-life exercise at sea. Two submarines, 13 surface ships, as well as fixed-wing airplanes, from both navies, will be mixed into three formations, two on the Red side and one on the Blue side. They will conduct exercises on about 10 subjects, including joint submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine and joint air defense.

Representatives of both China and Russia salute at the welcome ceremony for Russian navy vessels in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)