The Russian Navy and People's Liberation Army Navy are to hold the Joint Sea 2019 joint naval drills in late April - early May 2019, says press center of RF Defence Ministry. The delegation of the PLA Navy, led by Rear Admiral Yan Zhenming, arrived in St. Petersburg the day before to participate in a planning conference with a delegation of officers from the Main Command of the Russian Navy and the Pacific Fleet, headed by Rear Admiral Alexander Shuvanov.
On March 25, representatives of the both countries started to hold joint consultations on preparing for the training episodes - coastal and naval.
It is planned that within the Joint Sea 2019 exercise, it is planned that Russian and Chinese naval sailors will work out joint maneuvering episodes, organise communications, practise rocket and artillery firing to engage sea and air targets, and ensure search and rescue support. In addition to surface forces, the naval aviation of the PLA Navy and diesel-electric submarines of both countries will be involved in the exercises.
The first Russian-Chinese joint naval drills took place in the Yellow Sea in August 2005. At that time, they were part of the Peace Mission 2005 large-scale military exercises, organized under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Since 2012, the Joint Sea annual naval exercises have been held beyond the SCO, aimed at strengthening the combat capability of Russia and China to jointly counter threats at sea.