China-Russia joint naval exercise concludes

A six-day joint naval exercise held by Chinese and Russian navies concluded Saturday in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.

Chinese naval soldiers wave goodbye to their Russian counterparts on the sea off Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on May 4, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]

With a focus on joint defense operations, the "Joint Sea-2019" exercise featured joint air defense drills, joint anti-submarine drills, joint submarine rescue drills, among other joint operations.

Competitions including riflery, sniping and steeplechase, as well as cultural and sports exchanges were also held.

Two submarines, 13 surface ships, as well as fixed-wing airplanes, helicopters and marines participated in the exercise.

A Chinese naval vessel takes part in a China-Russia joint naval exercise on the sea off Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, on May 3, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]

The exercise has fulfilled scheduled tasks and reached set targets, achieving new high in making China-Russia joint naval exercises more real combat-oriented, information-based and standardized, said Qiu Yanpeng, chief director of the exercise from the Chinese side and deputy commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy.

Newly-added drills of the exercise have demonstrated the mutual trust and understanding between the two navies, said Alexander Vitko, chief director of the exercise from the Russian side and deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy.