The naval and air forces of China and Russia have kicked off joint exercise North/Interaction-2023 in the central Sea of Japan.
The exercise marks the second time Russia has participated in the annual strategic exercise of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the first time Moscow has sent naval and air forces.
The theme is “safeguarding the security of strategic sea lanes”: the joint exercise mainly includes naval and air escort, deterrence and expulsion, and anchorage defense exercises. The goal: to further enhance the coordination capabilities of both militaries to jointly maintain regional peace and stability and respond to various security challenges.