Today, the active stage of the joint Russia-Chinese exercise “Naval interaction” has started in the South China Sea.

Ships of the Russian Navy and the Navy of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army have left the Zhanjiang port (Guangdong Province) and laid the course to the areas of the active stage of the naval exercise.

Military servicemen are to practice organization of all types of ship defence, conduct combat firing at naval and aerial targets as well as perform landing operation in course of the sortie.

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In total, 18 warships and auxiliary vessels, 21 aircraft and more than 250 marines as well as 15 pieces of military hardware are involved in the exercise.

The joint exercise is held in the air, shore and sea zones of the South China Sea on September 12-19.

The Chinese PLA Navy held a welcome ceremony to greet the Russian naval taskforce consisting of the anti-submarine destroyers Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov, the amphibious dock landing ship Peresvet, an oil tanker and a tugboat ship at the pier of Zhanjiang.

Vice Admiral Wang Hai, chief director of the joint maritime exercise and deputy commander of the Chinese PLA Navy, Vice Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov, deputy commander of the Russian Navy, were at the pier to welcome the Russian naval ships.

On behalf of Admiral Wu Shengli and Admiral Miao Hua, commander and political commissar of the Chinese PLA Navy respectively, Vice Admiral Wang Hai expressed the warm welcome to the Russian naval taskforce.

Vice Admiral Wang Hai said in his a welcome speech that the year 2016 marks the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia strategic and cooperative partnership.